Melissa Smith

Melissa Smith is the Program Curator of Collaborative Learning at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Her responsibilities include inclusive public programs for adults and accessibility advocacy.

Motivated by a sustained commitment to exploring the unique relationship between art and audiences, Smith was awarded the Royal Ontario Museum Visitor Engagement Award in 2014 and one of Smith’s AGO programs was awarded the 2016 People’s Choice for Quality Improvement by the City of Toronto Long Term Care Homes and Services. She holds a Master of Arts in Art History from Western University and a Masters of Museum Studies from the University of Toronto.

She is also a Sessional Instructor in the Inclusive Design Graduate Program at OCADU and sits on the Board of Directors at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre. You can read more about her access programming methodology in an article she co-authored, The transformative –learning potential of feminist inspired guided art gallery visits for people diagnosed with mental illness and addiction, in the International Journal of Lifelong Education.