Allison Andrachuk - Director and CEO Close

Allison brings a wealth of experience as a senior leader, with over fourteen years of involvement in not-for-profit organizations as well as ten years in the cultural sector.  She was formerly the Director of Tides Canada Initiatives where she was responsible for program strategy and operational oversight of a range of Indigenous, environmental and social programs across Canada. Prior to her tenure at Tides Canada, Allison was Manager of Operations and Public Programs at the Contemporary Art Gallery in Vancouver.

Beth Carter - Curator Close

Beth Carter is the Curator at the Bill Reid Gallery. Her extensive curatorial career has focused on community involvement and collaboration. From 2009-2015, she worked as Director|Curator at the Nikkei National Museum in Burnaby, BC. Beth was previously Curator of Indigenous Studies with the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta from 1991-2009, where she worked on many exhibitions, including Honouring Tradition: Reframing Native Art and Nitsitapiisinni: Our Way of Life. She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia and a Masters in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge in England.

bcarter@billreidgallery.ca

Aliya Boubard - Assistant Curator Close

Aliya is a member of Sagkeeng First Nation, located on Treaty 1 Territory in Manitoba. She is Anishinaabe and considers herself a multi-disciplinary artist, exploring photography, drawing, design, and more recently, traditional beading. She recently graduated from the University of Manitoba with her Bachelor of Fine Arts, and is currently attending Simon Fraser University to pursue a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Indigenous Studies. Aliya completed a fellowship at the Manitoba Museum, and has worked and/or volunteered at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the Canadian Museum of Human Rights. In her time off, she enjoys reading, travelling and working on her own art projects.

Aliya is just starting out in her career, but is fascinated by museums, Fine Arts and Indigenous issues, and is excited to further her career as part of the Bill Reid Gallery team. She is looking forward to the future projects that she will take on.

Cheryl Kaka'solas Wadhams - Visitor Services & Gallery Shop Manager Close

Cheryl is a member of the ʼNa̱mǥis Nation with connections to the Maʼa̱mtagila, and Mama̱liliḵa̱la Tribes of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw Nation and is herself an artist. She has many years of sales and merchandising experience in her own business, as well as working for Lattimer Gallery. She is a double alumni from Langara College and holds a Degree in Aboriginal Studies and a Diploma in Small Business, and her experience includes work with the BC Assembly of First Nations and Native Education College. Cheryl is also an active member of the local Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw Cultural Sharing Group and is participating in a Kwak'wala language program through the First Nations Endangered Language Program at UBC.  She hopes to bring fresh, new ideas forward and support the work already accomplished for the Visitors Services and the Gallery Shop. Cheryl is honoured to have the chance to work at the Bill Reid Gallery. cwadhams@billreidgallery.ca 

Toonasa Luggi (on leave) - Education Specialist Close

Toonasa is Dakelh from her father’s side and Wetsuwet’en on her mother’s side, and is a member of the Frog clan through her mother. Her family home is in the community of Stellako, located in British Columbia’s northern interior. Toonasa moved to Vancouver in 2010 to attend post-secondary and graduated from Emily Carr University of Art + Design in 2014. Throughout the years, she has worked in indigenous communities with youth in various capacities, and is happy to bring both her professional and personal experiences to the education programs at the Bill Reid Gallery. 

education@billreidgallery.ca

Olivia Cox - Indigenous Programming Intern Close

Olivia is a member of the Teslin Tlingit Council and was born and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon. She recently completed her Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia with a major in Art History and a minor in Visual Arts. Olivia is a multidisciplinary artist, though her main focus and passion is film photography. She has also recently begun beading under the mentorship of her mother. Olivia is excited to be back at the gallery, having previously worked here as an archival assistant last summer.

Sara Louie - Indigenous Education Specialist Close

I would like to introduce myself, my name is Sara Louie, I am a living member of the Musqueam
First Nation for whom my mother’s paternal father is a descendant of the “people of the river
grass” today known as Musqueam. My maternal mothers’ family is from the Fraser Valley area
also known as Sts’ailes.
I received my Bachelor of Education Degree with an Indigenous Specialization from UBC in
2017. I appreciate art and being creative because it allows one to express themselves. I like how
art is a form of healing and lived realities for many of us, and as we find those connections we
strengthen that truth of our very existence. Art in itself for me is sometimes a personal and
emotional journey, or it can be just that the truth; nothing else; nothing less; nothing more. I
chose to work in Education to help teach the truth about our Indigenous people across the land
because when it comes to right and wrong or who holds the power; truth is not to be silenced
in light of all who and what we have lost.

Wayne Louie - Marketing Specialist Close

marketing@billreidgallery.ca

Serena Steel - Head Associate Close

Serena belongs to the Secwepemc Nation and is from the community of Barriere, BC. She moved to Vancouver in 2018 to attend Emily Carr University of Art and Design. She is taking her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in Critical and Cultural Practice and a minor in Social Practice and Critical Engagement. She is an interdisciplinary artist with a focus in ceramics and Indigenous beadwork, her work can be found on Instagram @ohme7e. Serena is happy to be part of the community at the Bill Reid Gallery and hopes to bring her personal and professional perspective into the gallery.

Alecska Divisadero - Operations Coordinator Close

operations@billreidgallery.ca
604.682.3455 ext. 225
Pronouns: she/her/hers

Alecska is a settler originally from France, where she obtained a degree in Business Administration, then pursued a career in photography and video. As a multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary artist, her work has been exhibited, published & screened at various galleries, theatres, and artist-centers in Europe and Canada. Since immigrating to this land, she has also been active in the non-profit sector, primarily in arts organizations. She is honored to be able to put her skills and privileges in support of Indigenous arts and culture.