Our Team

John G. Hampton is a curator, artist, and administrator who joined the MacKenzie team in October 2018. They hold a Masters of Visual Studies – Curatorial Studies (2014) from the University of Toronto, a BA in Visual Arts (2009) from the University of Regina, and a diploma in 3D Animation and Game Design from New Media Campus (2004). John is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, the United States, and Canada, and grew up in Regina (1991-2012). He was the recipient of the 2017 The Hnatyshyn Foundation – TD Bank Group Award for Emerging Curator of Contemporary Canadian Art, winner of two “Best Exhibition” and one “Curatorial Writing” awards from the Ontario Association of Art Galleries (2014-2016), and was named to ARTINFOS Canada’s 30 under 30 in 2014. John is the former Executive Director of the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba (2016-2018), Artistic Director of Trinity Square Video (2013-2016), and Curator at Neutral Ground Contemporary Art Forum (2010-2013). In addition to their role at the MacKenzie Art Gallery, John holds an adjunct curator appointment at the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, and is the co-chair of the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective board of directors.

Caitlin is an artist and arts administrator, with a BFA in Printmaking from the University of Regina, who began working at the MacKenzie in 2012. She maintains an active studio practice working primarily with screen printing on paper and textiles and creating resin-based jewelry. She is one of the co-founders of Articulate Ink Press, Saskatchewan’s first artist-run printmaking centre. Her work has been exhibited in group shows across Saskatchewan and Manitoba, including the Art Gallery of Regina, the Estevan Art Gallery and the Sherwood Branch of the Dunlop Art Gallery.

Brittany Yang has been at the MacKenzie Art Gallery for almost 10 years, and finds the most inspiring part of her job is creating a lasting impact in our community.

Her personal life motto is “Kale in one hand, champagne in the other”, and the best piece of advice she’s ever been given is that the answer is always no, until you ask.

May Ngui has come from a diverse background in Sales & Marketing, and has past experiences working in other museums and galleries, including the Royal Saskatchewan Museum and the Cumberland Art Gallery located at the Saskatchewan Legislature Building.

May enjoys arts and music, supporting charitable organizations, and party planning and hosting…  But what she loves the most is baking assortments of desserts and pastries in her spare time, and has even had her recipes published in a recipe cookbook.

May’s philosophy, “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” —  Paulo Coelho

She looks forward to seeing you at the MacKenzie!

Crystal Mowry (she/her) is the Director of Programs at the MacKenzie Art Gallery. She previously held the position of Senior Curator at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery where she oversaw the gallery’s exhibitions, collections, and publishing activities for over a decade. As a curator operating primarily within the context of a public art museum, she treats her role as equal parts co-conspirator and translator, often seeking ways to support artists in the development of new projects that complicate institutional narratives and processes. Her curatorial work includes group exhibitions such as The Brain is wider than the Sky, I’ll be your Mirror, The Perennials, and Romancing the Anthropocene, one of the three zones commissioned by the City of Toronto for its annual Nuit Blanche event. Her solo projects with Ontario-based artists Maggie Groat, Ernest Daetwyler, and Deanna Bowen have received Exhibition of the Year Awards from the Ontario Association of Art Galleries (now Galleries Ontario Galeries) and in 2020 she was a recipient of a Waterloo Region Arts Award. Her writing has appeared in various artist-focused publications on the work of internationally active artists Brendan Fernandes, Shary Boyle, Mark Clintberg, and Deanna Bowen. She is a member of advisory committees for C Magazine and Critical Distance Centre for Curators and regularly participates on industry juries, most notably for the Sobey Art Award (2015), the RBC Painting Competition (2018), and the Scotiabank Photography Award (2021). Crystal was born in Toronto where she completed undergrad studies in sculpture and installation at the Ontario College of Arts University before completing a Master in Fine Arts degree at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax.  

Timothy Long has thirty years of curatorial experience at the MacKenzie Art Gallery where he is Head Curator and Adjunct Professor at the University of Regina. His past projects have traced developments in Saskatchewan art since the 1960s and explored interdisciplinary dialogues involving art, sound, ceramics, film, and contemporary dance. The most frequent requests he hears are for tours of the vault and the Long family recipe for Concord grape pie.

Nicolle Nugent values community and art education as the foundation for her professional and creative practice. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts (1999) and Bachelor of Education (2001) from the University of Calgary. After working in Regina Public, Catholic and rural school divisions, Nicolle began working at the MacKenzie Art Gallery in education, where she is currently programming for community, school and youth audiences as Curator of Education. Nicolle has participated in many professional development opportunities including Making Museums Matter, Cultural Resource Management Program taught by Stephen E. Weil (University of Victoria), as well as several National Art Education Association (NAEA), Canadian Art Gallery Educators (CAGE), engage (United Kingdom), American Alliance of Museums, Art Museum Educators Consortium, and Canadian Museums Association workshops and conferences. She has presented at engage International Summer School (2006) in Portugal and has also been an active member of the Canadian Art Gallery Educators executive since 2009, occupying Senior Chair, Past Chair, and Case Study positions. Nicolle’s passion for creativity also includes an active writing practice and an addiction to making natural apothecary. She lives with her husband and two daughters just outside of Lumsden, Saskatchewan.

Marie Olinik (she/her) is the Registrar at the MacKenzie Art Gallery. She is a graduate of the visual arts program at the University of Regina (B.F.A. Hons. 2003) and obtained a Professional Specialization Certificate in Collections Management from the University of Victoria (2018). Prior to becoming Registrar, Marie was the MacKenzie Art Gallery’s Curatorial Administrative Assistant for nearly a decade and is currently one of the longest-serving staff members at the Gallery. In her time with the MacKenzie Art Gallery, she has played a significant role in the data management and documentation of their art collection and exhibitions. Marie has also supported the logistical side of exhibitions, from coordinating fine art shipping and arranging for photography to confirming copyright permission and printing wall labels. Recent adventures in shipping include the Punk Orientalism exhibition (November 2018 – February 2019) which involved borrowing artwork from 6 different countries, and the Radical Stitch exhibition (April – September 2022) which involved coordinating loans and shipping for over 100 artworks from over 50 institutional and individual lenders. 

Ken Duczek started working for the MacKenzie in the fall of 1988. Through much of this time he delivered the Provincial Touring Program making over 800 community visits, delivering approximately 8300 tours to over 320000 people. Sharing art and creativity inspires him in new program opportunities at the MacKenzie.

His bucket list lottery dreams include travelling to Europe visiting cathedrals and walking by virtually any ocean in a warm location, but he’d gladly spend more time with Wendy and their family, walking their happy pup Ginger and photographing all. His life as a movie title would be “Count it all Joy.”

Hi, I’m Fiorella Stephanie Villagaray Pacheco from Peru, South America. After starting in Political Science, I found my calling in fine arts during a class with a Peruvian art critic, Silvio de Ferrari. I shifted to pursue Art & Design at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. During my studies, I helped run the Student Center of Art & Design for over two years, fostering connections and advocating for students’ rights. I then volunteered at the Peruvian Ministry of Culture , focusing on Colonial Painting restoration and Paleontology. Seeking diverse cultural experiences, I pursued a Business certification at the University of Regina in 2020. Then, during the pandemic, I became a Gallery Facilitator at MAG, aligning with my passion for community arts, engaging visitors in art discussions. As part of this new chapter in my life, I’m looking forward to supporting our community as a Program Assistant.

Corey Bryson is currently the Preparator at the Mackenzie Art Gallery, and has been working in a similar capacity for the past 15 years. His experience includes the installation and de-installation of a contemporary and historical art and artifact-based exhibitions. In addition, Corey also possesses years of experience as a multi-media artist, photographer and musician. A passionate museum and gallery professional, Corey prides himself in the role Preparators play in the preservation and public enjoyment of museum collections.