Curating the Work of Jana Sterbak: Diana Nemiroff and Dr. Johanne Sloan In Conversation
Both Dr. Johanne Sloan, Professor of Art History at Concordia University in Montreal, and Diana Nemiroff, former curator of contemporary and modern art at the National Gallery of Canada, have curated Jana Sterbak exhibitions: in 2025 Sloan curated Corpus insolite: Jana Sterbak at the Musée des Hospitalières in Montreal; and in 1991 Nemiroff curated States of Being at the National Gallery of Canada. This conversation will weave together anecdotes, stories of reception, and insights into the curatorial process each of them developed while working alongside Sterbak to create these significant exhibitions.
Dr. Johanne Sloan curated the exhibition Jana Sterbak: Corpus Insolite, which was held at the Musée des Hospitalìeres in Montreal in 2025. Dr. Sloan is a professor emeritus in the Department of Art History at Concordia University. She is the author of books and articles about the artist/experimental filmmaker Joyce Wieland, and has written about many aspects of Canadian art and visual culture.
Diana Nemiroff built a national reputation as curator of contemporary and modern art at the National Gallery (1984-2005) and director of the Carleton University Art Gallery (2005-2012). Her controversial 1991 exhibition of Jana Sterbak’s work, States of Being, attracted media attention across the country, while her ground-breaking 1992 survey of contemporary North American Indigenous art, Land, Spirit, Power (co-curated with Charlotte Townsend-Gault and Robert Houle) remains an exhibition of record in the field. Both were also shown in Calgary. Diana is the author of the book Women at the Helm: How Jean Sutherland Boggs, Hsio-yen Shih, and Shirley L. Thomson Changed the National Gallery of Canada, published in 2021. She continues to be active as an independent curator. Her most recent exhibition featuring the work of Quebec photographer Raymonde April may be viewed online at the Portrait Gallery of Canada.