Jan Allen

Adjunct Professor
Chief Curator/Curator of Contemporary Art, Agnes Etherington Art Centre
jan.allen@queensu.ca
(613)533 6000 x77052

Research Interests

Contemporary art with a concentration in Canadian art. Research areas include electronic media art, politically and socially engaged art, the exhibitionary complex and arts policy.

Biography

Jan Allen is Chief Curator/Curator of Contemporary Art at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre and is an adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Art and in Cultural Studies at Queen's University. She holds a BA in History, a BFA, and an MA in Art History, all from Queen's. Since 1992, she has organized over 100 exhibitions, garnering numerous awards, and has published widely. Her research accomplishments focus on arts policy, politically and socially engaged art, and new media art. Notable projects include Better Worlds, an exhibition of activist and utopian projects by artists (2002), and Machine Life, interactive and robotic works under the influence of the methods and aesthetics of electronic art pioneer Norman White (2004). Recent major shows include Working Culture: Carole Condé and Karl Beveridge (2007-2010) and Sorting Daemons: Art, Surveillance Regimes and Social Control (2010). Allen has been active as an advocate for the arts community and presently serves as Chair of the Arts Advisory Committee of the City of Kingston. Her independent critical writing has been published in Prefix Photo, C Magazine, Artext, and Poliester.