Angela Cassie, who became acting director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada in June 2022, after Sasha Suda deceased to lead the Philadelphia Museum of Art, quits both roles. According to a statement released by Douglas Chow, director of communications for the Ottawa gallery, Cassie will return to her hometown of Winnipeg to “begin a new leadership position in Manitoba.” Chow praised Cassie, calling her “an unwavering, determined leader who has fully invested herself in the important work we hired her to do in pursuing major transformations at the National Gallery of Canada.” Cassie in an interview earlier this year had suggests that she would return to Winnipeg in June; however, it was expected at the time that she would remain in the roles.
Prior to taking on interim leadership, Cassie was responsible for gallery strategy and inclusion. She sparked controversy last November with the unexpected cooking four senior curators: Greg A. Hill, the institution’s chief curator of Indigenous art; Kitty Scott, deputy director and chief curator of the museum; Stephen Gritt, Director of Curatorial and Technical Research; and Denise Siele, Senior Director of Communications. At the time, Cassie wrote in a memo to staff that the ‘restructuring’ was behind the shock layoffs which she called ‘the result of many factors and aimed at better aligning the gallery’s management team on the organization’s new strategic plan”. Seven former high-level staff have sent a letter to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, saying layoffs and vacancies in crucial areas of expertise have led to a sense of instability among staff.
At the end of January, the gallery published job offers for positions and, according to the Citizen of Ottawa, hired a headhunter. The Minister of Canadian Heritage is responsible for choosing a chef from a list submitted by the gallery’s board of directors. No successor has yet been announced.
