Textile Museum of Canada Appoints New Head Curator, Armando Perla, LL.B, LL.M
The Textile Museum of Canada (the Museum) is pleased to announce the appointment of Armando Perla (He/They) LL.B, LL.M as Head Curator. Armando will join the Museum on June 5, 2023. The search was led by BIPOC Executive Search.
Perla will oversee the artistic direction of the Museum, contributing significant experience as an international curator and researcher to expand the Museum’s audiences, share new modes of exhibition development and design, and encourage discourse and public programs around the role of textile arts and fashion in our lives
“I am excited about the potential for the Textile Museum of Canada with Armando’s arrival,” said Kirsten Kamper (She/Her), Director and CEO. “They are an accomplished curator, engaging speaker, and synergistic connector. A social justice advocate, Armando breaks down barriers with compassion. Their impact will be felt immediately, and staff look forward to building something transformative together.”
Perla was most recently Chief Curator for the Toronto History Museums at the City of Toronto. They are Vice-President on the board of the Canadian Museums Association and were a board member of the International Council of Museums’ (ICOM) International Committee on Ethical Dilemmas (IC-Ethics) from 2019 – 2022. Between 2021 and 2022, they curated a major children’s exhibition on historic memory and human rights for the United Nations Development Program and the Swiss Agency for International Cooperation in Central America in El Salvador.
Perla also held the position of Assistant Professor on Decolonization and Race in Museums with the Master of Museum Studies, Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto, and served as International Advisor on Museums, Human Rights and Social Inclusion for the City of Medellin, Colombia. They were part of the founding team of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and Project Leader at the Swedish Museum of Migration and Democracy. During their tenure at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights they were also an adjunct professor both at the faculty of law at the University of Manitoba and in the Global College at the University of Winnipeg. They hold a Bachelor of Laws from l’Université Laval in Canada and a Master of Laws in International Human Rights Law from Lund University and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Sweden.
Prior to working in the museum sector, Perla held several roles in human rights organizations in North America, Latin America, and Europe. Perla is currently a PhD candidate in Art History and Museology at the University of Montreal and in 2021 was awarded the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Doctoral Fellowship for their research.
“I am excited to join an institution that is loved and appreciated by many in the city and to work together with the team to make the implementation of UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) a reality in the Museum,” said Armando Perla on their appointment. “I look forward to opening spaces that prioritize the development of collaborative exhibitions and programs that showcase the textiles, fashion, and stories of Indigenous communities across Turtle Island as well as those of Black, other racialized folks and queer communities. It is my hope that the Textile Museum of Canada will become a meeting point and a bridge between communities here and those around the world with direct ties to our collection.”
Board Chair, Robert Windrum (He/Him) shared: “The addition of Armando to our team signals a new era for the Museum built on the excellence of our past. I can’t wait for Armando to share their philosophy, vision, and unique approach to museums with the rest of Toronto and Canada.”
The staff and Board of Directors extend their profound thanks to former Curatorial Director, Sarah Quinton, for her 28 years of outstanding leadership at the Museum. Following her departure in 2022, Quinton was appointed Curatorial Director Emeritus.
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About the Textile Museum of Canada
The Textile Museum of Canada inspires understanding of the human experience through handmade textiles. We are the only museum in Canada delivering programs and exhibitions dedicated solely to textile arts. The Museum ignites creativity, inspires wonder, and sparks conversation through the stories held within our global collection of textiles, and active engagement with contemporary art practices.
For more information, visit: textilemuseum.ca, IG: @textilemuseumofcanada, FB: Textile Museum of Canada, and TikTok: @textilemuseumofcanada.
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