221A is pleased to announce Jesse McKee as the Curator of Projects and Residencies. Beginning in August, he will work with the community, staff and curatorial residents of 221A to further the organization’s collective model. Leading the production of exhibitions and programs, as well as outdoor and publishing projects, he will continue to develop the organization's mandate in exploring the role of design in the shaping of contemporary societies.
As a curator, he is known for developing new works in close relationship with artists. Some past exhibitions include the production of domestic spaces and vernacular environments with Lee Kit (Henry (Have You Ever Been This Low?), Western Front, 2011), as well as with Tamara Henderson and Julia Feyrer (Bottles Under the Influence, Walter Phillips Gallery, 2013). Equally, the impact of networked lifestyles plays a role in his work, as seen in through two comprehensive commissions with Neïl Beloufa (As Far As We Know, Western Front, 2011 and Counting on People, Walter Phillips Gallery, 2014), as well as the group exhibition Artesur, Collective Fictions (Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2013). Jesse’s hire will carry the organization into a new chapter of programming, marking our first dedicated on-staff curator in 221A's ten-year history.
Prior to joining 221A, Jesse was the Curator of Walter Phillips Gallery, The Banff Centre, Banff (2011-14) and the Exhibitions Curator of Western Front, Vancouver (2010-11). In 2013 he sat on the jury for the Sobey Art Award, and was a member of The Canada Council for the Art’s Asia Pacific Delegation. This year, he was as a nominator for The AIMA Photography Prize, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; The Brink Award, Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle; a curatorial resident with Tranzit.org, Romania; organized a conference on historic Countercultures with Presentation House Gallery, Vancouver and curated a group exhibition on contemporary depictions of the grotesque, Stopping the Sun in its Course, François Ghebaly Gallery, Los Angeles.