Gertrude Contemporary congratulates Alexie Glass-Kantor on her recent appointment to the position of Executive Director at Artspace, Sydney.
After 7 years at the helm, Gertrude Contemporary Director - Senior Curator Alexie Glass-Kantor has announced she will leave her current role to take up the position of Executive Director at Artspace, Sydney.
Glass-Kantor has lead Gertrude Contemporary through a period of dynamic development, spearheading the expansion of the organisation’s programs and its international standing.
During her time as Director, Glass-Kantor oversaw the growth of the International Residency and Visiting Curators Programs and the establishment of the Gertrude’s Table Patron’s Program. Also during her tenure, Gertrude Contemporary underwent a major rebranding with the launch of a new identity and website by Fabio Ongarato Design. Glass-Kantor led the ongoing partnership with FOD and significant expansion in the publishing program at Gertrude Contemporary, which has generated multiple awards.
Glass-Kantor curated exhibitions of work by Manuel Ocampo, Ulla Von Brandenburg, Harun Farocki and Young-Hae Chang: Heavy Industries and was instrumental in bringing Australian art into an global context alongside international artworks within the Gertrude Contemporary exhibition program. She initiated the internationally acclaimed Independence Project, connecting Australian contemporary artists with peers and organisations in the region through residency and exhibition collaborations between Gertrude Contemporary and colleague organisations in Malaysia, Italy, Singapore, China and Korea. Glass-Kantor was invited to speak on this unique program at the Independent Curators International Curators Perspective series in New York in June of this year.
Mandy Fox, Chair of the Gertrude Contemporary Board of Directors says “Alexie has been a passionate and hardworking Director in the 7 years she has been with Gertrude. We thank her for all her tireless efforts over this time. Her talent, knowledge, enthusiasm and dedication have been outstanding. Alexie has contributed a great deal to Gertrude during her time with us, and there is no doubt she will be missed by all. We wish her well in her new position.”
Glass-Kantor states, “Over thirty years Gertrude Contemporary has accumulated an impressive alumni of artists, collaborators, supporters and peers. Building on that history it is an organisation that I was honoured to lead and it was immensely rewarding to work in tandem with the talented staff and board to establish new pathways and programming partnerships. Everyday I was reminded of the importance of community and collaboration: Gertrude Contemporary with its unique mix of studios and curatorial programs embodies the best qualities of creativity, generosity and exchange. Making the decision to leave was a difficult one, however I believe the organisation is poised to seize new opportunuties for growth and development. I look forward to a continued involvement with this gutsy and vital institution.”
Glass-Kantor continues as Director - Senior Curator at Gertrude Contemporary until mid October, departing after the launch of The Somali Peace Band, the highly anticipated project presented by Gertrude Contemporary and Melbourne Festival as part of their annual partnership. She replaces former Artspace Executive Director Blair French who is now Assistant Director, Curatorial and Digital at The Museum of Contemporary Art.