Honorary degree citation - Chantal Pontbriand

By: Geneviève Cadieux, June 2014

Mr. Chancellor, it is my honour to present to you Chantal Pontbriand, prominent contemporary art curator and critic.

Chantal Pontbriand’s incisive criticism and analysis has had an unparalleled impact on the art world since the 1970s. Her work, which explores questions of globalization and artistic heterogeneity, has broken new ground in critical discourse. She is recognized internationally for her profound knowledge of visual art, dance and museums.

Chantal Pontbriand est cofondatrice de la revue d’art contemporain PARACHUTE, publication d’avant-garde qu’elle a pilotée de 1975 à 2007. Au fil de sa carrière, elle a organisé de nombreuses manifestations internationales d’art contemporain, dont des expositions, des festivals et des colloques dédiés principalement à la photographie, à la vidéo, à la performance, à la danse et à l’installation multimédia.

Après avoir conçu plusieurs événements et festivals d’envergure axés sur les arts de la scène, elle cofonde le Festival international de nouvelle danse (FIND), à Montréal, qu’elle présidera de 1982 à 2003.

Chantal Pontbriand was appointed Head of Exhibition Research and Development at Tate Modern in London in 2010 and more recently founded PONTBRIAND W.O.R.K.S. [We Others and Myself Research Knowledge Systems]. She has been Associate Professor of curatorial studies at the Sorbonne-Paris IV since 2012.

Her most recent publications include Mutations, Perspectives on Photography, PARACHUTE: The Anthology, Volumes I and II, The Contemporary, The Common: Art in A Globalizing World, and Per/Form: How To Do Things With[out] Words.

In 2013, her remarkable work was recognized with a Governor General of Canada Award for an Outstanding Contribution in the Visual and Media Arts.

Mr. Chancellor, on behalf of Senate and the Board of Governors, it is my privilege and honour to present to you Chantal Pontbriand, so that you may confer upon her the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa.