ANNA GULBINSKI – EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Anna completed 30 years of service as an executive manager and senior human resources professional with the Ontario Public Service and received an Ovation Award for her contribution to Transgender Policy Development. Anna has been extensively involved in the governance of numerous non profit, community, sports and Polish cultural organizations. A former dancer and later Director of the White Eagle Song and Dance Group, Secretary with the International Folk Arts Council and Committee member with the Polish Canadian Congress – Royal Ontario Museum Heritage Days and the Canada 150 Project. She is currently the Executive Director of the Mississauga Polish Days Festival at Celebration Square, Secretary for Polcham Canada, and President of the Erindale Lions Little League Baseball Association where she has been a Board member for almost 20 years. Anna previously served as School Council Chair (both Elementary and High School) for 16 years. Anna has lived in Mississauga for 32 years and is the proud mother of 2 sons.

SHANNON ANDERSON – CURATOR

Shannon Anderson comes to the Art Gallery of Mississauga with more than twenty years of professional experience in curating, writing, and collections management. In her independent curatorial practice, she has developed exhibitions for galleries across the country, including the Owens Art Gallery in Sackville, Musée d’art de Joliette, Oakville Galleries. Over the years, Shannon has worked with the AGM in various capacities, including as guest curator of the touring group exhibition (Da Bao) (Takeout), co-curated with Doug Lewis, and as a guest writer for the AGM publication Beyond the Pines.

Shannon has also written for various art publications, including Art Papers, Azure, Border Crossings, Canadian Art, C Magazine, Carousel, and EyeMazing Amsterdam, and she has provided editing and writing services to many galleries and arts organizations.
For the past seven years, Shannon has also served as the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital Art Council’s first Art Curator, where she has helped to establish a role for art in a healthcare setting. This has included the development of year-long group exhibitions of contemporary art throughout its public spaces, with works by Kim Adams, Douglas Coupland, Soheila Esfahani, Tazeen Qayyum, Denyse Thomasos, Jeff Thomas, Gu Xiong, and Xiaojing Yan, among many others.

HELEN HARRIS – GALLERY OPERATIONS MANAGER

Helen is an experienced Gallery Operations Manager with a BA in Economics and a Certificate in Human Resources. For over six years she was an invaluable member of the team at the Mississauga Arts Council as the Events Producer and Membership Coordinator. While she was a stay-at-home mom raising her 3 children she also ran the family Landscape and Construction business for more than 30 years. As an enthusiastic volunteer she worked with Girl Guides of Canada as a leader and administrator for 19 years, volunteered with the School Council, at Church and with the hockey and soccer as team mom and team trainer. These experiences gave her opportunities to camp regularly and travel internationally. Helen has lived in Mississauga for 32 years.

JENNIFER POLO – COMMUNITY ACTIVATOR – EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Jennifer Polo is an experienced Arts Educator who has been creating art programs for children, adults, and seniors in schools and social service organizations across Toronto and Peel Region since 2003. As Lead Artist in the Royal Conservatory’s Living Through the Arts Program she participated in several research projects, including Smart Aging Study (2013) and Smart Kids (2012), which studied the impact of visual arts training on cognition and behavior. She was also instrumental in developing a pilot project for the Arts Rehab Project at Bridgepoint Health Centre (2016) to help seniors in their recovery. As Community Activator at Baycrest Geriatric Centre she brought together seniors and teenagers to create paintings that told stories about their lives in a program called Learning from Our Elders (2012). She has been a Gallery Guide at the Art Gallery of Ontario since 2018 where she encourages visitors to look mindfully at the artworks and wonder about the possible meanings intended by the artists. Her passion for art led her to pursue a graduate degree in Art History at York University (2020) where she worked with Dr. Anna Hudson to discover the ways in which Quebec artist Françoise Sullivan incorporated movement in her abstract painting. In her spare time Jennifer loves to paint, travel, visit galleries and walk in nature.

VICTORIA MENDONCA – COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

Victoria Mendonca was born and raised in Mississauga. She is a  Hazel McCallion Campus- Sheridan Business Graduate, who continued her studies in Toronto at George Brown College, for Entrepreneurship Management.  Victoria is a serial entrepreneur and creative. She runs her own small Business Happy Pixel Creative where she is able to design through various forms of digital media. One of Victoria’s greatest passions in life is creation. She is an avid crafter and loves to create abstract paintings and finds exceptional beauty in portrait photography.  When she is not writing or content creating for work you might find her sewing recycled textiles or attempting a new crochet pattern with her grandmother.

ZARAH KHAN – VOLUNTEER AND EVENTS COORDINATOR

Zarah has been with the Art Gallery since 2019. She is also a full-time Ph.D. student at the Women and Gender Studies Institute at the University of Toronto, where her research focuses on memory cultures, architecture, and cultural theory. She also holds a Master of Arts degree in Gender Studies and Feminist Research and Bachelor degrees in Art History, English Literature, and Cultural Studies. In the past, she has worked on archiving art work and personal memorabilia relating to the Air India Bombing of 1985. She has also worked in communications and marketing at York University’s English Language Institute where she helped manage the Institute’s transition to remote learning. Drawing on this diverse set of experiences, she most enjoys putting together events such as weekly film nights and working directly with student interns and volunteers to implement community based programming at the AGM.

LINDA THOMAS – PROJECT LEAD, border crossings

Linda is a 40+ year career executive with a solid history of not-for-profit management at many levels. She has served as Executive Director of numerous organizations, was an instructor at Sheridan College (Social Planning & Research) and at Humber College (Community Arts Development Program). Linda has her own consulting company, Soular Connection which has two focus streams: 1. value based success through strategic visioning, strategic planning, management & consulting; 2. health & wellness.

Linda’s educational credits include: Honours H.B.A. in Sociology (University of Guelph); Masters of Social Work (in organizational development and planning) from Wilfrid Laurier University; National Certificates in Voluntary Sector & Arts Management (Canadian Centre for Philanthropy and York University); Certificates in Executive Leadership and Managing Change from The Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity; Certificate in Leadership from Leadership Peel; and ongoing seminar/training courses.

Linda is an active member in broader community/ provincial initiatives. She is a member of the Mississauga Pops and Milton Concert Bands and the Ontario Pops Orchestra playing the French horn and has had the opportunity to perform at Stage West in a number of productions. She is a certified Master Reiki practitioner, Health and Wellness Coach (and more) and a Consultant with OYG Consultants specializing in strategic planning, life/work balance and coaching. Linda has lived in Mississauga for just over 37 years and has two grown children, two grandsons and another grandchild on the way.

RAHEEL PATEL – PROJECT LEAD AND MENTOR (LOVE LAB)

Raheel Patel (He/Him) is a mixed media artist / art and museum curator. Born and raised in India’s first world heritage city Ahmedabad, inheriting the cultural values, art, craft, practices, myths, legends, and faith from his family, and Sampradaya (cultural & religious system), Raheel has not only learned these traditional art forms but also applies them to the modern world to understand Indian art and techniques at a deep level. As an artist, he nurtures the child within him, permitting him to live within a secret world, using the memories of his childhood as both object and subject in his work.

He studied Fine Arts and Arts History from INDIA wherein he learned the professional and systematic practices of the arts world. After immigrating to Canada in 2014, he completed ‘The Culture and Museum Management’ program and ended up doing his internship at the Peel Art Gallery Museum + Archives ( PAMA ) where he solo curated show on the board games of INDIA “The Art Of Kreeda” He was fortunate enough to receive a grant to start a Art Business ( Holy Cow Studio ) with the help of city of Mississauga entrepreneurship programme his Art practices are environment friendly his workshops are offered at Peel Public schools, Markham public Schools, wellness centres, Museums & Art centres. He is a Project lead of LOVE LAB at Art Gallery of Mississauga and served as a Public Art Advisory Committee Also Worked on contract as a Community Engagement Agent Mississauga Arts Council / Art Educator at Dundas Valley School of Art.

CHRISTINA MOSS – COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR (border crossings)

With a background in broadcast journalism, television production and programming, Christina’s creativity comes through the lens of the camera.   Having worked for nonprofit organizations and understanding grant processes she brings an analytical review, while understanding the arts. As an event producer, she empowers her clients with the ability to intuitively reach their Community in an organic and creative way including organizing and executing large scale conferences and events. 

Christina‘s love for fashion and photography has fuelled her entrepreneurial skills in her multiple business ventures. 

Bringing creativity, art, and usefulness to those to encourage well-being and self empowerment. 

DANIEL SALIJ – COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING COORDINATOR
(border crossings)

Daniel Salij is a multi-media artist who has the ability to inspire awe in an audience. Calm and gentle by nature, but focused and fierce when called upon. His artwork is a celebration of life and the human potential. 
Combining his skill set gained studying theatre production at Ryerson University with his innate creativity, he has the perfect blend for bringing many styles of artistic production from conceptualization to completion. He is a filmmaker, a recording and touring musician, a writer of prose and poetry , and an illustrator, painter, and designer. He has been recognized municipally for his work in music and film, and his current collaborations are taking him to the international stage. He has established several brands and bands and is currently spread across a number of artistic projects and networks. 
Daniel is the owner and operator of Art Everywhere through which he produces and curates creative-arts-events in Toronto.

ANA ANGELA LOPEZ (border crossings)

Ana Angela is a result focused and highly dedicated evaluation expert for international, national and community initiatives, with experience implementing and optimizing community development projects. She has over 8 years of experience in program management, evaluation and optimization with the aims of maximizing community impact. As the evaluator for the ‘border crossings’ project, Ana Angela is proud to be working in her local community.

The Art Gallery of Mississauga is a guest upon the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit. This ancient land is part of the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit and the traditional homelands of the Anishinaabe, Wendat, and Haudenosaunee nations.