Francisco Alvarez
Managing Director, Institute for Comtemporary Culture, Royal Ontario Museum

Francisco Alvarez was born in Bogota, Colombia and raised in Ottawa, Canada. After completing his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at York University in 1978, he embarked on a nine-year career as a professional dancer in Canada and France. Returning to York University, he obtained an MBA in 1989.

After spending years with the Ontario Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Alliance Broadcasting, Francisco joined the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in communications capacity before being appointed as Managing Director of the Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) at the ROM in March 2008. The ICC explores current cultural, social and political issues across different societies through exhibitions of art, architecture and design, as well as lectures, film series and publications. To date, Francisco has produced ten exhibitions, four publications and dozens of public programs for the ICC.

Michelle Jacques
Associate Curator, Contemporary Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario

Michelle Jacques is a Toronto-based curator and writer and holds the position of Associate Curator, Contemporary Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Her recent projects include Sarah Anne Johnson: House on Fire (2009); At the Corner of Time and Place (Nuit Blanche Zone B, Toronto, 2007); and Luis Jacob: Habitat (2005-2006). Her recent writings include "The Artist-run Centre as Tactical Training Unit," decentre: concerning artist-run culture (YYZ Books, 2008); and "Art and Institutions: An interview with Janna Graham and Anthony Kiendl," Fuse, September 2007. She sits on the board of Vtape, and is a contrbuting editor with Fuse

Ann Webb
Executive Director, Canadian Art Foundation

Ann Webb began her career in a private contemporary art gallery and has held positions with the Canadian Opera Company, the Royal Ontario Museum Foundation, the Toronto International Art Fair and the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery. Ann currently holds the position of Executive Director of the Canadian Art Foundation. She has been engaged in the visual art and cultural sectors for more than twenty years and founded and organized the Reel Artists Film Festival since 2004.

Ann has lectured and participated on panels about collecting contemporary art at the Power Plant Art Gallery, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Contact Photography Festival, The University of Lethbridge, and the Vancouver Art Gallery.