Sharing the Passion: Panel Discussion

Sharing the Passion:
Panel Discussion

28 March, 2026
2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery
Free admission

Collecting art is vital to art museums. As a foundation for the mission, collections are more than objects. They are vehicles through which curators use to tell stories and develop new understandings of art and history. By acquiring and preserving artworks, museums provide a permanent home for art and artists, ensuring their work remains accessible for future generations. Collections happen through the vision of artists, directors, curators and donors. Collections are what makes a museum unique.

The afternoon will begin with an introduction by Shirley Madill, Executive Director. Comprised of four leaders in the art world and moderated by Darryn Doull, Curator: Exhibitions and Programs at KWAG, this panel comes together to share their passion for art collecting, both personally and institutionally, and to discuss why donating artworks to art museums in perpetuity is critically important.

Aaron Milrad, a prolific art collector and philanthropist has been a long-time supporter of the arts. As former counsel to Dentons Canada LLP, a global law firm, headquartered in Toronto he has provided specialized legal and business advice to clients nationally and internationally who are involved in the arts, media and copyright industries.

Carolyn Veseley, Executive Director of the Power Plant, and former Executive Director at Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, is a seasoned leader in the visual arts realm, with over 30 years of experience in effectively building and transforming organizations. Her extensive background encompasses collaborating with artists, arts organizations, funding partners and volunteer boards.

Ihor Holubizky is an art historian and senior curator who has held several curatorial positions in public art galleries including the Power Plant, Art Gallery of Hamilton, McMaster Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney and Art Museum at the Queensland University of Technology. He has written extensively on historical, modern and contemporary topics in art and culture.

Jamelie Hassan is an artist, curator, writer and activist based in London, Ontario. Her works are included in major public collections and she is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Governor General's Award in Visual Media Arts in 2001. She received an honorary degree from OCAD University, Toronto in 2018 and in 2023 an honorary degree from Western University, London in 2023. She is co-founder with artist Ron Benner of the Embassy Cultural House, a not-for-profit artist collective based in London, Ontario.

The program has been organized in conjunction with the Gallery’s 70th anniversary exhibition celebrating our donors and the Permanent Collection.

Sponsored by:

Imagery:

Feature image
Tom Thomson, Untitled (c. 1910). Oil on canvas, 44 x 52 cm. Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery Permanent Collection: Anonymous Gift, 1995. Photo by the Government of Canada, Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI), 2018.

Headshots courtesy of the speakers.