Staff
Marty Hasselbach
CEO
Marty joins the Biennale as a seasoned Arts Education and Technology executive leader with extensive experience and a proven track record in facilitating strategic growth, large scale cultural change initiatives and global corporate development.
Marty started his career in Audio Production and toured the world and recorded with major Canadian artists throughout the late 70’s and early 80’s. In 1983 he joined Columbia Academy and steered the institution for over a decade to one of the largest Broadcasting, Audio and Video schools in Western Canada, then he was recruited to join Vancouver Film School in 2000 as the Managing Director. Over the next fifteen years, he established VFS as the world’s pre-eminent one-year entertainment and digital media arts school, servicing a worldwide annual student base of over 1500, across 90 countries. One of his legacies will undoubtedly be the design and building of the ground-breaking 125,000 sq. ft. 3D Animation and Film Campus located in historic Gastown, which was completed in 2014.
After leaving VFS in late 2015 he continued to help education/tech company entrepreneurs with their growth strategies, SaaS metrics, and scale by acting as an advisor and/or executive leader. Working with companies like Simba Technologies, Red Academy and Fully Managed, he has been instrumental in helping them expedite their ongoing success.
Natalia Lebedinskaia
Director of Public Projects
Natalia Lebedinskaia is the new Director of Public Projects at the Vancouver Biennale. She is responsible for overseeing the realization and installation of Vancouver Biennale’s Open Air Museum.
Born in Moscow, Russia, Natalia held the position of Curator of Contemporary Art at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba for six years before moving to Vancouver. From 2015 to 2018, Natalia was a lead curator on LandMarks2017, a Canada 150 Signature Project that brought contemporary art to National Parks throughout Canada. In her LandMarks2017 project, Coalescence, she worked with Michael Belmore to realize a three-part stone sculpture spanning two provinces and thousands of miles in a reflection on migration, resilience, and geological time. She holds an MA in Art History and a BFA in Art History & Studio Art from Concordia University.
Contact natalia [at] vancouverbiennale.com
Naomi Evans
BIG IDEAS Education Program Coordinator
Naomi Evans is an arts education professional who joins us from delivering learning programs in London, U.K., at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Historic Royal Palaces and the Worshipful Company of Salters.
Passionate about engaging students of all ages in the arts, Naomi will lead this year’s BIG IDEAS program. She studied at the University of St Andrews for an MLitt in Museum and Gallery Studies and an MA(Hons) in Medieval History and English with a sub-honours in Art History.
Contact naomi [at] vancouverbiennale.com
Yadira Stubbs
Visual Marketing Specialist
Yadira Stubbs is Graphic Designer, Marketing Specialist and Web Developer with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications Design (B.A) from Emily Carr University of Art and Design and Certificate in Technical Web Development from British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), both in Vancouver, BC.
Born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas, Yadira carries over six (6) years of experience in the Graphic Design industry working alongside various businesses and entrepreneurs to establish their brand. She is extremely passionate about establishing ideal user experiences and joins the Vancouver Biennale team with a strategic focus on Social Media Management and Marketing and Branding strategies.
Contact yadira [at] vancouverbiennale.com
Zoya Siddiqui
Coordinator, Residencies and Ancillary Projects
Zoya has joined the Biennale as Coordinator of Residencies and Ancillary Projects. Born and raised in Lahore, she has previously worked with the Lahore Biennale Foundation in Research and Development, and as Project Manager with White Turban Art Consultancy for Devi Art Foundation, India. She has been interested in notions of the ‘public’ and research-based practices, exploring these through her own artistic practice as well.
Zoya completed her MFA from the University of Pennsylvania as a Fulbright scholar and her BFA from Beaconhouse National University.
Contact zoya [at] vancouverbiennale.com
Michael Suh
Senior Curator, Artist Residencies
Michael Suh carries years of experience as Executive Director for the Museum of Contemporary Art Beijing. Other prominent positions include founder and director of the vibrARTion Project, Deputy Director for International Coordination, China Sculpture Institute, ISC Member of International Committee, KAO (Kinetic Art Organization) Executive Director for China. Major activities include Beijing Olympic Sculpture Project, Yuzi Paradise International Sculpture Project (one of the first sculpture projects involving international artists to work in China for larger sculpture commissions), NordArt China Pavilion for Chinese Cultural Year in Germany, Forms of the Formless: Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Art, A Passage to the Alps: Chinese Artists in St. Urban and “Critical Connections” celebrating the 65th Anniversary of China-Switzerland Partnerships.
Michael Suh is currently Guest Professor at the Guangxi Normal University School of Fine Arts.
Ammar Mahimwalla
Project Consultant
Ammar has been working as the Director of Public Projects at the Vancouver Biennale from 2013 to 2018. Prior to this he worked as a program consultant for the BMW Guggenheim Lab in Mumbai from 2011-2013, as part of an international interdisciplinary team. He was also the Education Officer at the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai, where he developed visitor outreach programming. Ammar studied Anthropology & History at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Contact ammar [at] vancouverbiennale.com
Linda Purcell
Fundraising and Grant Manager
Linda Purcell is a Chartered Professional Accountant with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Creative Writing (CPA, CGA, BA) . She has a wealth of experience that includes writing in numerous genres, working as an owner/manager at Top Producer Systems, creating a book review blog, and finalizing her book publication.
Contact fundraising [at] vancouverbiennale.com