When I started my doctoral work in art history, I had already been in the workforce for almost twenty years, working in the floral industry. Coming back to school, I had planned the PhD out beforehand and had some savings, which were supplemented by teaching and travel grants.

During my PhD, I started to work on exhibitions and curatorial projects, and I wasn’t aligning myself with an academic career. I was doing the PhD as a personal challenge, not as a path to professorship.

I completed the PhD after eight years, which was the right amount of time for me—I was developing my experience as a curator at the same time, so it was important for me to balance the two objectives. My father’s illness impacted my progression in the program, as did switching supervisors halfway through. My new supervisor, however, helped me to plan and keep on track.

After graduation in 2009, I continued working at the Gail and Stephen Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art, and then taught at Dawson College for a couple years, continuing to work on curatorial projects at the same time. Then, I took a contract at The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery in St. John’s as their Manager of Exhibitions and Publications, but felt quite isolated geographically. Finally, I took up my present position, Artistic Director and Chief Curator, at the Art Gallery of Burlington.

The theories and skills I acquired during my doctoral work are very useful—I still teach a summer course every year, and the artist I focused on in my dissertation has connections to Burlington. The PhD equipped me for carrying on my current projects, and trains you to be creative and open-minded.

When I started my doctoral work in art history, I had already been in the workforce for almost twenty years, working in the floral industry. Coming back to school, I had planned the PhD out beforehand and had some savings, which were supplemented by teaching and travel grants.

During my PhD, I started to work on exhibitions and curatorial projects, and I wasn’t aligning myself with an academic career. I was doing the PhD as a personal challenge, not as a path to professorship.

I completed the PhD after eight years, which was the right amount of time for me—I was developing my experience as a curator at the same time, so it was important for me to balance the two objectives. My father’s illness impacted my progression in the program, as did switching supervisors halfway through. My new supervisor, however, helped me to plan and keep on track.

After graduation in 2009, I continued working at the Gail and Stephen Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art, and then taught at Dawson College for a couple years, continuing to work on curatorial projects at the same time. Then, I took a contract at The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery in St. John’s as their Manager of Exhibitions and Publications, but felt quite isolated geographically. Finally, I took up my present position, Artistic Director and Chief Curator, at the Art Gallery of Burlington.

The theories and skills I acquired during my doctoral work are very useful—I still teach a summer course every year, and the artist I focused on in my dissertation has connections to Burlington. The PhD equipped me for carrying on my current projects, and trains you to be creative and open-minded.