The Canada Council for the Arts is pleased to announce the appointment of Pierre Arpin, currently director of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, as the Canada Council’s new Head of Visual Arts, effective November 19, 2007.

Mr. Arpin has headed the Winnipeg Art Gallery since September 2005; before that, he served for more than five years as director of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. 

A native of Plantagenet in eastern Ontario, Mr. Arpin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Visual Arts from the University of Ottawa and a Master’s degree in Art History from l’Université de Montréal. He began his professional career as an assistant curator at the Ottawa’s Arts Court Gallery in 1989, (later the Ottawa Art Gallery) before becoming director and curator of the Art Gallery of Sudbury in 1996.

“Pierre Arpin is one of Canada’s top art gallery directors, and we are delighted that he has agreed to return to Ottawa to work for the Canada Council,” said Canada Council Director Robert Sirman. “His vast knowledge of the visual arts, combined with his administrative experience, will be an enormous asset.”

As Head of Visual Arts, Mr. Arpin will be responsible for the administration of the Canada Council’s visual arts funding programs. In 2006-2007, the Council awarded approximately $18.7 million in funding to Canadian visual artists and arts organizations, including art galleries and artist-run centres.