MEET THE MAC’S NEW BOARD MEMBERS
We are starting 2023 with a new Board of Directors and Executive Committee, composed of individual and institutional MAC members committed to Caribbean art and culture. At the 2022 Annual General Meeting, the running candidates were introduced for the MAC Board Elections. Voting took place through a secure, online, third-party voting system in the weeks following the AGM. Six new members were elected to the board, and one member was re-elected. Elected Board members serve a term of three years, to aid in MAC’s long-term goals and provide some continuity.
Leaders and key figures in their fields, the board members have the necessary and important connections, trust, and respect to speak on behalf of their organizations and their communities, and to be ambassadors and successful advocates of their missions. Dispersed geographically, they have combined experience at a wide range of museums and cultural organisations—large and small, private and public.
Board members are absolutely critical to MAC being able to fulfill its mission and fully serve its members. Board service is one of the toughest volunteer roles of all, one that has to be performed with dedication and tenacity. Meet the MAC’s newly elected and re-elected board members and what they look forward to accomplishing in their tenure.
INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERS
Ariana A. Curtis, PhD, Curator, Latinx Studies, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
I am looking forward to connecting with cultural workers in the region as well as helping MAC build and advance our multilingual institutional, professional, and personal relationships.
The mission of the Smithsonian Institution (SI) National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC)mission is to provide for the collections, study, and establishment of programs and exhibitions relating to African American life, history, art, and culture. NMAAHC’s Office of Strategic Partnerships (OSP) furthers this mission by developing the museum’s constituent and peer organization services and programs and collaborating with existing networks to strengthen and elevate the profile of African American and African Diaspora museums, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and other organizations that promote the study or appreciation of African American and African diasporic history and culture.
Ina Gemieux, Project Manager for Public Policies and Mediations, La Collectivité Térritoriale de Martinique
I am very happy to join the MAC’s Board and I look forward to helping make the cultural diversity of the Caribbean a driving force for sustainable development. The challenge of cultural diversity is the challenge of independence of expression: that of artists but also that of peoples and societies.
La Collectivité Térritoriale de Martinique is composed of a Deliberative Assembly and an Executive Council in charge of proposing and implementing public policies necessary for the economic and social development of the French overseas territory, Martinique.
Katarina Jacobson, Archaeologist, Head of Collections of Musée Edgar Clerc, Les Musées du Conseil départemental de la Guadeloupe
The differences between our institutions and the themes presented, the variability of the status of our territories and our linguistic differences, but also our common museum problems, offer a multivocality which makes the richness of MAC. I very much look forward to contributing to this richness.
The Conseil départemental de la Guadeloupe (Departmental Council of Guadeloupe) promotes its heritage through its three museums: Musée Edgar Clerc, Le Musée Départemental d’Art et d’Histoire (“Le Musarth”), and the Écomusée de Marie-Galante. All of them are designated as a musée de France and are representative of the history and culture of Guadeloupe.
INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Tasha Douge, Visual Artist/Speaker/Consultant, New York
Starting as a presenter in 2019 to serving on multiple committees, it brings me great pride to stand in the role of board member for MAC. In this full circle moment, I will continue to contribute my voice, ideas, and efforts to the growth and legacy of this international community.
Matthieu Ecrabet, Archaeologist and Scientific Advisor, Center of Animation and Interpretation of the Amerindian Culture of Vivé, CAP NORD Martinique
I look forward to working with MAC to further promote Caribbean culture and heritage internationally. Alone we go faster, but together we go further.
Alexandra Gooding, Research Consultant, Lord Cultural Resources (Toronto, Canada)
I am honoured and humbled to be elected to MAC’s Board of Directors. I have enjoyed serving MAC in smaller capacities since 2019. In this new role, I look forward to collaborating with fellow Board Directors to continue strengthening MAC’s community, spreading awareness about the Caribbean’s vibrant and multifaceted arts and culture sectors, and advocating for increased investment in these sectors and their contributors.
Nyasha Warren, Researcher, Museo del Canal Interoceánico de Panamá; Member, Society of Friends of the West Indian Museum of Panama
I look forward to three more years of connecting museums and professionals across the region. I look forward to continuing to learn from my colleagues as well as sharing insights from Panamá as we grow together.