Bio
Photo credit: André Gogol
Natasha S. Reid (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Art Education in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Victoria in Victoria, BC, Canada, on the traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples and the Songhees, Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day. Her research focuses on multicultural, social justice, and identity issues, collaborative practices, and the pedagogical uses of contemporary art. She is researching these areas in the fields of art museum education, community art education, and teacher education. Her work regularly employs narrative-based and arts-based research practices. She is dedicated to researching and showcasing the stories of individuals and groups whose voices have rested on the sidelines of institutions.
From 2017 until 2021, she was the Executive Director of the Visual Arts Centre/Centre des arts visuels - a dynamic non-profit artistic space in Montreal, Quebec. At the VAC, Natasha led the three primary components of the Centre: the School of Art (Canada's largest bilingual independent art school), the McClure Gallery (an important contemporary art gallery with a thriving and expanding public program); and ARTreach (an innovative outreach art education program for publics dealing with difficult social and/or economic circumstances). From 2013 until 2016, Natasha was an Assistant Professor of Art and Visual Culture Education in the University of Arizona's School of Art, where she focused on museum education scholarship and practice. Natasha was a Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture Postdoctoral Research Fellow who worked with New York University and the Université du Québec à Montréal. She was the Assistant Editor for the Canadian Review of Art Education and recently was the guest co-editor (with Dr. Richard Lachapelle, Concordia University) of a special issue of CRAE, which focused on museum education and cultural mediation. Additionally, she was a Guest Editor for the 2013 edition of Muséolgies: Les cahiers d’études supérieures in collaboration with Dr. Amélie Giguère. This special issue explored ways that contemporary art museums are encountering and employing different forms of dialogue and how these inform and affect their practices.
Natasha’s work has been published in diverse international journals, including the Journal of the Inclusive Museums, The Canadian Review of Art Education, Canadian Art Teacher, and The Journal of Museum Education. Additionally, she has published chapters in a variety of books. She has presents her research at art education, museum, and interdisciplinary conferences. Natasha has also been invited to hold workshops at various museums.
Natasha has received numerous awards and grants including a National Art Education Foundation Research Grant, Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture Postdoctoral Fellowship, a Social Sciences and Humanities Doctoral Fellowship, a Concordia Fine Arts Doctoral Fellowship, the National Art Education Association’s Elliot Eisner Doctoral Research Award in Art Education, and the Canadian Governor General’s Gold Medal (People and Society) at Concordia University in 2013.
I would like to acknowledge with respect the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples on whose traditional territory the University of Victoria stands and the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.