Franchesca Hebert-Spence

An interview with Franchesca Hebert-Spence, the Curator of Indigenous Ceramics at the Gardiner Museum.

What is your job title and description?

Curator of Indigenous Ceramics at the Gardiner Museum. My role is to care for the Indigenous ceramics within the Gardiner’s collection, review and put forward acquisition proposals for Indigenous art, install the new Indigenous gallery space, and liaise with communities that the Gardiner would like to build long-term relationships with.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A big part of my role is reading what other folks have written; looking for ceramics by Indigenous artists in other collections nationally or abroad; visiting with artists and other museum workers either over the phone or through video calls; and attending meetings to provide my perspective as an Indigenous cultural producer. Developing installation layouts and writing makes up a very small amount of my time because I need to do these other tasks before an exhibition can be mounted. 

What career/educational path did you take to get here?

I have held a number of different positions throughout my career. I began as an artist, and have worked in different roles at galleries and museums, including as a docent, collections management assistant, gathering coordinator, and social media assistant. These roles have informed how I curate, because I have snippets of insight into the ecosystems of making and presenting art.

I have a bachelor of fine arts with a major in ceramics and a master of art in culture studies from the University of Winnipeg, where I worked at the university’s Gallery 1C03. There, I was a curatorial assistant working on the triennial major art rotation. Early in my career, I was a social media coordinator at the Daly House Museum, a Victorian house museum in Brandon, Man., with a small staff. As Collections Management Assistant at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, I sorted exhibition photography taken between 1970 and 2003. It was a great experience to see how different shows were installed over the years. Later, I worked as Adjunct Curator at the Art Gallery of Alberta alongside Jessie Ray Short, and as the Gathering Coordinator for Beading Symposium: Ziigimineshin Winnipeg 2020. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, I was working in the Indigenous Art department at the National Gallery of Canada with Greg Hill and Alexandra Kahsenni:io Nahwegahbow. That’s when I decided to pursue my doctoral degree at Carleton University under the supervision of art historian Carmen Robertson.

What is the most exciting part of your work?

I feel so energized after coming from a meeting where artists and staff are excited about the direction the project is going. It’s great to see an artist’s vision come to life and how it resonates with visitors. It might not be flashy, but knowing how much has to happen, I love knowing that exhibitions launch with momentum from a large group of people thinking and working together.

What is your biggest challenge?

I’d like to see more written resources about ceramics in general, and Canadian Indigenous ceramics that are authored by Indigenous folks. The field is growing, but it would be nice to see it become larger.

Tell us a brief story about an object you have worked with.

I don’t work with objects, I work with people. And if I’m working with a piece, it is usually in a way that considers its intentions or desires. These ongoing relationships are important and understanding that consent is vital in these spaces. One time I was installing a collections exhibition and, after checking in with one of the artists, I learned they didn’t feel comfortable having their work near another work in the collection. We were able to come to a place where we still had the juxtaposition, but not in relation to an art legacy the artist didn’t feel good about.

Anything to add (especially for artists/makers/craftspeople whose work you work with)? 

The work that is happening at the Gardiner Museum is changing how Indigenous ceramics, as well as the permanent collection, is presented. This carries into other facets of the Museum, including curatorial practice. My practice is dialogical, so essentially visiting and chatting with people. I want to work with artists in a way where they feel advocated for, seen and supported.

Franchesca Hebert-Spence is Anishinaabe and a member of Sagkeeng First Nation, currently residing in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. She is a cultural producer with a background as a ceramic artist and social beader. She is the inaugural Curator of Indigenous Ceramics at the Gardiner Museum with previous roles at the National Gallery of Canada, Indigenous Arts Centre, and Art Gallery of Alberta. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Cultural Mediations (Visual Culture) at Carleton University and the 2024 recipient of the Joan Yvonne Lowndes Award.

This article was published in the Fall/Winter 2024-2025 issue of Studio Magazine.