MOA is delighted to welcome Jordan Wilson as the Museum’s Curator, Pacific Northwest and Contemporary Indigenous Art.
Jordan is a member of the Musqueam Indian Band, on whose traditional, ancestral and unceded territory MOA is located. He is a PhD candidate in anthropology at New York University and holds a Master of Arts in anthropology and a Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous studies, both from the University of British Columbia.
Jordan’s professional connection to MOA spans more than a decade, and he has been central to the inception and development of groundbreaking projects at MOA. Jordan was a co-curator of the MOA exhibitions c̓əsnaʔəm, the city before the city (2015) and the ongoing In a Different Light: Reflecting on Northwest Coast Art (2017–). He is co-author of the award-winning MOA Publication, Where the Power Is: Indigenous Perspectives on Northwest Coast Art (Figure 1, 2021).
“Jordan has been an invaluable collaborator to MOA for many years, through various projects. His appointment as a Curator, Pacific Northwest and Contemporary Indigenous Art is an important step in deepening MOA’s relationship with Indigenous communities and artists,” says MOA Director Susan Rowley. “He is a respected curator within our institution and across the broader Canadian art world. He brings a rare and powerful combination of scholarly excellence, lived experience and curatorial insight to MOA. We are honoured to welcome him to the team and excited for the ways his leadership will continue to shape the future of MOA’s work with Indigenous art and communities.”
At MOA, Jordan is responsible for curating exhibitions and stewarding the collections related to Pacific Northwest and contemporary Indigenous art. He works closely with Indigenous communities, artists and knowledge holders to ensure culturally grounded and community-informed approaches to exhibition development and collections care. Drawing on his academic research and curatorial experience, Jordan brings critical insight and cultural connection to MOA’s curatorial team.