Marie Lopes

Marie Lopes is an arts educator and administrator with over 30 years of experience working in art galleries, arts organizations, and in local government. Her work centres on developing and supporting exhibitions, public programs, and artists’ projects that facilitate community engagement and public discourse in the arts. Following graduate studies in Art History at Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan, she worked as the Curator of Education at the Art Gallery of Windsor and the Edmonton Art Gallery. Moving to Vancouver in the fall of 1999, she worked as Curator of Education at the Burnaby Art Gallery and at ArtStarts in School administering their Artists in Residence Program. From 2001 - 2008 she held positions at the Vancouver Art Gallery, first as a Public Programs coordinator and later as Head of Public Programs.

At the Vancouver Park Board since 2009, Marie is currently as the Coordinator of the Park Board Arts Team. She supervises a citywide team that organizes and supports artist in residence projects and cultural initiatives in community centres, parks and facilities – from dance productions in swimming pools to weaving projects in parks. This work supports the Park Board Arts Policy mandate to integrate the arts into everyday life in Vancouver, build creative capacity in community and support spaces for artists and community to connect.