Verne Harrison
Board Member
Verne has a lifelong passion for the arts and brings over 3 decades of public art gallery experience to bring to the table at the ECFTA. As a recent retiree from his long career with the A.G.G. (Art Gallery of Guelph), he jumped at the chance to join this great group of people on the ECFTA board as a way to serve the community and continue his passion for the arts. Verne graduated with an Honours Fine Art degree from the University of Western Ontario. While there, Verne co-founded the first ever student art gallery. Upon graduating, Verne and a couple of fellow fine art graduates expanded their focus to start up a gallery project in London, with a mandate to provide exhibition space for new artists or artists having difficulty getting their artwork exhibited. In 1987, Verne headed to Toronto to begin a new job at the newly opened Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery at Harbourfront. As installation officer, Verne worked directly with leading Canadian and international artists, designers and architects. In 1992, Verne moved to Guelph to assume the role of Gallery Coordinator at the A.G.G., then the MacDonald Stewart Art Centre. Verne’s position at the gallery was a conglomerate of managerial responsibilities including collections, leading the installation of exhibitions, building and grounds management (which was specifically related to the permanent outdoor sculpture installations). In 2004, Verne became a co-founder and coordinator of A.G.O.G. (Art in Guelph and Outside Guelph) in Guelph and surrounding region, with the vision to bring an increased awareness of all the great art being done in and around Guelph. Verne has been a member of Guelph’s Public Art Advisory Committee for the past 7 years and is currently holds the position of Chair. He has also been a practicing artist throughout his career and continues to produce his own work in his basement studio, which he refers to as the “The Hot Mess Art Lodge”.