Toronto—Gabrielle Peacock has been appointed Executive Director & CEO of the Gardiner Museum. Currently Director of Partnerships and Development at Soulpepper Theatre and previously CEO of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa, Ms. Peacock will join the Gardiner in February 2023.

She succeeds Kelvin Browne, following his retirement in January after 9 years of bold leadership and transformational change at the Museum. Chief Curator & Deputy Director, Sequoia Miller, will fill the role of Interim Executive Director prior to Ms. Peacock’s arrival at the Museum.

“I am delighted to welcome Gabrielle Peacock to the Gardiner Museum,” says James Appleyard, Board Chair. “Gabrielle joins the Museum with over 30 years of experience as an arts administrator, fundraiser, community builder, and Canadian art specialist, with a strong record of dynamic organizational growth. Throughout her career, Gabrielle has demonstrated a deep commitment to advancing social justice, gender equity, and community engagement goals. We look forward to welcoming her at this exciting time in the Gardiner’s evolution from a respected specialty museum to a vibrant centre for culture, learning, and community.”

Since 2020, Ms. Peacock has served as Director of Partnerships and Development at Soulpepper Theatre, Toronto’s largest non-profit theatre company, where she spearheaded fundraising efforts during the pandemic and reopening, with an emphasis on equity-driven program funding for BIPOC artistic leadership and training, and female-identifying playwright commissions.

Prior to joining Soulpepper, she was Interim Executive Director of Dress for Success Toronto, Canada’s largest chapter of a global not-for-profit that serves to empower women from underserved communities in their transition from unemployment to economic independence.

Ms. Peacock was Chief Executive Officer of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa from 2010 – 2015, where she implemented enduring community-focused programming in support of growing diverse audiences, commissioned major public sculpture, and led extensive renovations of the Gallery, including new spaces to support artist-driven residencies, experimentation, and exhibition.

“It is an honour to be appointed Executive Director & CEO of the Gardiner Museum, a dynamic and vibrant cultural destination for all of Toronto, and an important centre for ceramics, internationally,” says Gabrielle Peacock. “I have a deep belief in the capacity of art and cultural institutions to act as catalysts for connectivity and civic engagement, to be a platform to spark conversations on broader societal issues, and contribute measurably to social good. Building on the contributions made by Kelvin Browne, I look forward to working with the Gardiner’s strong curatorial and management team, staff, Board, and community partners at this pivotal moment in the life of our city, post-pandemic.”

Ms. Peacock’s appointment concludes an international search by Boyden Canada.

ABOUT GABRIELLE PEACOCK

Gabrielle Peacock (CFRE, MPA) has been a passionate advocate for art and culture for her entire career. Her undergraduate degree at Western University, studies at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London, and a role at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection led to a successful two-decade career in the Fine Art auction business, where she held leadership positions in a national auction house, before taking on the position of CEO at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa. In 2015, Ms. Peacock earned her CFRE designation and returned to academia, completing her Master of Public Administration-International Development degree from the University of York in the UK, while serving as Interim Executive Director of the Toronto chapter of the global women’s charity, Dress for Success. This was followed by a three-year tenure as Director of Partnerships and Development at Soulpepper Theatre where she led successful fundraising campaigns throughout the pandemic and into reopening.

Gabrielle is a former ArtVest Mentor for Business/Arts, and Board member of Visual Arts Ontario and Shelter Movers.

ABOUT THE GARDINER MUSEUM

The Gardiner Museum brings together people of all ages and communities through the shared values of creativity, wonder, and community that clay and ceramic traditions inspire.

We engage audiences with exhibitions, programs, and hands-on classes, while stewarding a significant permanent collection. We interpret historical ceramics to emphasize their relevance today, and champion emerging and established Canadian artists and their role in the broader world. The Gardiner Museum innovates through clay education, as we bring together the experience of making with a deeper understanding of the art of ceramics.

We believe in making, looking, and thinking through clay.

The Gardiner Museum has a collection of over 4,000 objects from the Ancient Americas, Europe, Japan and China, as well as contemporary works with an emphasis on leading Canadian artists. It is among the few museums in the world focused on ceramics and is one of the world’s most notable specialty museums.

For more information, please visit: gardinermuseum.com.

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Media Contact:
Rachel Weiner
Senior Manager, Marketing
Gardiner Museum
416.408.5062
[email protected]