Galt Museum names new CEO, executive director

By Jensen, Randy on April 14, 2020.

LETHBRIDGE HERALD

The Galt’s Museum & Archives board of directors has announced that Darrin J. Martens has accepted the offer to become the new CEO/executive director. His tenure began with the Galt on April 6.

“Darrin comes with a large amount of experience and expertise in culture and heritage,” says board chair Vic Mensch in a news release. “The Galt has changed and expanded its offerings and scope over the past 10 years, including offering hundreds of public programs each year, growing the number of students coming to the Galt through school programs and taking responsibility for operating Fort Whoop-Up. The board is looking forward to working with Darrin to continue to build and grow the Galt Museum & Archives and Fort Whoop-Up.”

Martens is a Canadian museum professional with over 25 years of experience working at various institutions including the MacKenzie Art Gallery, Burnaby Art Gallery, Vancouver Art Gallery, West Vancouver Museum & Archives, Nisga’a Museum, Audain Art Museum and the Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives.

He holds a master’s in Art History with a focus on Critical Curatorial Studies from the University of British Columbia, a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and a Bachelor of Fine Arts – both from the University of Regina. He is also an alumnus of the J. Paul Getty Foundation’s Museum Leadership Institute, held at Claremont Graduate University.

As a sessional lecturer with the University of Victoria’s Continuing Education Cultural Resource Management program, Martens has taught critical curatorship and cultural institutional management courses. As a curator he has organized over 50 exhibitions, including major retrospectives on the work of George Paginton, Beau Dick, Takao Tanabe, Gordon Smith and Norman Tait.

Martens has written or contributed to over 30 publications throughout his career including monographs on Beau Dick, Ann Kipling and a history of Canadian alpine art.

“I look forward to working with the board and dedicated staff team of the Galt Museum & Archives and Fort Whoop-Up to further the mission of the institution with the various communities that the institution currently serves and broaden our reach throughout Southwestern Alberta,” says Martens. “The Galt is an important educational and community gathering place for the exchange of ideas, learning and sharing. I will endeavour to build upon the successes of the institution and seek out new relationships and partnerships to ensure that the museum is a centre for cultural life for Lethbridge residents and for all southwestern Albertans.”

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