“The scholarly pursuits I had at Concordia were art history, and now I work at the leading art gallery in Canada where art history is part of my every day.”
Art historian, architect and museum specialist, Isabelle Corriveau, upended jobs in the midst of the pandemic, taking over as director of Exhibitions and Outreach at the National Gallery of Canada, home to more than 75,000 works of art.
Former Head of Exhibition Administration at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Corriveau was also coordinator of programming at Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec and project manager at the McCord Museum.
It’s no easy task arranging blockbuster exhibits and shipping fine art in the time of COVID, she notes. “Nothing prepares you for that.”
Proudest moment
“I reoriented my architect career towards museums, went back to school, and when I got my very first job at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, I actually took a picture of my badge. It was the beginning of great things to come. I still have the picture of the badge.”
Career challenge
“The past year, starting a new job and relocating to Ottawa after 37 years in Montreal to pick up the ball in a sector very much affected by COVID.”
The Concordia factor
“The scholarly pursuits I had at Concordia were art history, and now I work at the leading art gallery in Canada where art history is part of my every day.”
Inspiring professor
“Greek art and architecture professor Don Andrus told incredible stories of places he had traveled and temples he had seen, and made you feel as if you were there with him. He sparked my interest in architecture.”
Educational detours
“It’s not always a clear career path. I have a diploma from all four Montreal universities, including BArch (Université de Montréal), MArch (McGill) and Diplôme d’études supérieures spécialisées in Event Design (UQAM). Each diploma opened something new. Nothing is ever lost. That’s the joy of my present position, I’ve been able to take all those experiences and training and put it to use in my present role.”
Career advice
“From one of my mentors, ‘à l'impossible nul n’est tenu,’ roughly, no one is bound to do the impossible.”
Words of wisdom
“Work hard, have fun, be kind.”