MOA is delighted to announce Damara Jacobs-Petersen as the newly appointed Head of the Curatorial and Engagement Department.

Damara joined MOA in 2021 as the Curator, Indigenous Engagement. In this capacity, Damara is responsible for the collaborative design, implementation and evaluation of educational and public programming that bridges Indigenous communities and the diverse audiences the museum serves. Damara is also the Director of the Native Youth Program, MOA’s long-running work learn opportunity for Indigenous youth.

Now, she will also serve as the departmental head, overseeing MOA’s long-term curatorial vision through research, exhibitions, education and programs. She will continue building collaborative and reciprocal relations with stakeholder communities.

Of this appointment, MOA Director Susan Rowley says, “Damara is a creative and powerful force inside and outside of our museum, bridging deep relationships with local First Nations communities and artists. We are honoured she has accepted these additional department head responsibilities. As a department head, Damara will be instrumental in shaping MOA’s future and demonstrating what it means to work in a good way with all those invested in MOA.”

Damara is of Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and African American ancestry. She was born and raised in the villages of Xwemelch’stn and Esla7han (Capilano and Mission Indian Reserves) located in North and West Vancouver. Damara is passionate and dedicated to community programming, cross-cultural dialogue and civic engagement. She is interested in arts-based education within informal learning spaces, Indigenous knowledge systems particularly traditional ecological knowledge, and local history and weaving traditions.