Governance and Advisory Council

The Canadian Centre for Sculpture is committed to institutional transparency and clear leadership. This page outlines the Centre’s leadership structure, governance framework, and the advisory bodies that uphold our national mandate for the advancement of sculptural arts.

Board of Directors

Christian Corbet

Founding Director & Interim Chair

Christian Corbet governs the strategic oversight and leadership of the Centre’s national research initiatives. The Centre will transition to an independent Chair and Advisory Council as the institution expands nationally.

Dustin R. Chandler, H.BA.

Treasurer

Dustin R. Chandler is an Honours Business Administration graduate and alumnus of the Ivey Business School at Western University. Over the course of more than thirty years, he has demonstrated leadership within the Canadian Portrait Academy while also establishing a distinguished career in the corporate sector. He currently serves as Vice President for a leading multimillion-dollar business process firm, where he has been recognized for his expertise in operations, organizational leadership, and strategic development.

Throughout his career, Chandler has combined strong business acumen with a longstanding commitment to the arts and cultural initiatives in Canada. His experience bridging corporate leadership and cultural administration has contributed to the advancement and sustainability of numerous initiatives associated with portraiture and public engagement in the arts. Known for his disciplined leadership style and organizational insight, he continues to support projects that foster institutional growth, professional excellence, and cultural stewardship.

Mitch Davis-Mann

Secretary

Ensuring accountability through rigorous documentation and compliance with national mandates.

Advisory Council

Christian Corbet, PPCPA, FSc., FRSA

Senior Advisor, Institutional Strategy

Christian Corbet provides expert oversight on national cultural mandates and organizational transparency frameworks. He brings to the position over 3 decades of expertise working with numerous universities and institutions such as Buckingham Palace and Governments in Canada, UK, Scotland, Ireland, and Egypt including many important worldwide figures.

John G. McAvity, CM, D. Litt.

Governance Specialist

John G. McAvity has devoted himself to Canada’s arts and heritage. He received the Order of Canada and an honorary doctorate from University of New Brunswick, as well as the Queen’s Jubilee Medals. A native of Saint John, he has lived in Toronto and Ottawa and has travelled extensively. He is Director Emeritus of the Canadian Museums Association, having devoted 37 years to the organization as its CEO. In retirement, he remains active in fundraising and advising for the new home of the New Brunswick Museum, and serves on the board of the Canadian Fund for International Understanding Through Culture, among other organizations. He resides in Rothesay.

Sandra George

ADvocacy Advisor

Sandra George advises on community outreach and local engagement for underrepresented artistic voices across Canada.

Mackenzie Browning

Karen Goodeve, Hon. BA, BEd.

Manny Travers

Educational Specialist

Karen Goodeve (she/her/hers) is a passionate and dedicated educator with 26 years of experience with the Peel District School Board, recognized for her unwavering commitment to supporting diverse and unique student populations. A graduate of the concurrent education program at Trent University and Queen’s University, she earned an Honours Bachelor Degree in English and Cultural Studies alongside her Bachelor of Education degree in 1995. Throughout her distinguished career, Karen spent 16 years teaching at-risk youth and later served as a secondary school guidance counsellor, where she became widely respected for her ability to build strong relationships with students facing academic, social, emotional, and behavioural challenges. A strong advocate for student well-being, she also founded and served as the lead teacher of her school’s Mental Health Committee and Mental Health Club, helping to reduce stigma surrounding mental health while creating supportive and inclusive spaces for students and staff. Her leadership, compassion, and dedication to equity and inclusion have consistently shaped the school communities she has served.

In 2022, Karen launched an innovative specialized program for neurodiverse high school students with complex learning needs, a program she continues to lead successfully today. Through individualized programming focused on life skills, communication, emotional regulation, and community integration, Karen has created meaningful opportunities for students to build confidence, independence, and a sense of belonging. Widely admired by colleagues, students, and families for her empathy, creativity, and tireless advocacy, Karen is known for going above and beyond to ensure all students are supported and valued. Her outstanding contributions to education have earned her numerous prestigious honours, including the Peel District School Board Award of Excellence in 2010 and the Award of Distinction in 2022. Most notably, she became the first recipient of the Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan Spirit of Teaching, Living, and Values Award in 2024, recognizing her exceptional commitment to student well-being, inclusive education, and compassionate leadership.

Mackenzie Browning is an Ontario based, Canadian professional artist who works primarily in screen-print, book arts, and print based sculpture. Mackenzie’s aesthetic can be described as bold, meticulous, and inventive, often blurring the lines between design, craft and fine art. His artworks are constantly pushing personal technical boundaries, often becoming architectural in nature. Mackenzie’s creations and installations reflect both his past and present lived experiences, a personal history that has primarily taken place in Southern Ontario, Colorado, New Jersey, and Saskatchewan.

Mackenzie grew up in contrasting landscapes. He spent his childhood on a one hundred acre Canadian sheep farm, before moving to several different small cities and suburban settings. Mackenzie uses the foundations of his rural upbringing as a strong counterpoint in his printmaking practice. His rural upbringing created an endless degree of respect for flora and fauna, this admiration is reflected in his print based installations, drawings, and sculptures. The forcefully fabricated setting of the suburban environment has distanced Mackenzie’s interaction with what is truly natural. Mackenzie’s obsession over nature and his personal history of contrasting constructed environments are common motifs in his print based art practice.

Mackenzie has exhibited locally and internationally, with a focus in contemporary practices in combination with arts outreach and education. Mackenzie’s works are held in the permanent collections of private collectors, Baylor University, Virginia Commonwealth University, The Art Gym Denver, University of Saskatchewan, Open Studio Toronto, and RedLine Contemporary Arts Center.

Mackenzie holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Saskatchewan and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) degree from Queen’s University.

Paper sculpture SPECIALIST

2SLGBTqia+ Acadian/Lebanese specialist

Manny Travers (he/him/il) is a bilingual, queer, multidisciplinary artist of Acadian and Lebanese descent from Wolastoq (Fredericton NB) based in Adawe (Ottawa, ON).

Manny holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a certificate in Visual Communications & Culture from Mount Allison University, as well aa certificate in Contemporary Arts Management from the University of New Brunswick.

He held positions on various arts and culture boards, including Chroma NB, Atlantic (Association of Artist-Run Centre of Atlantic Canada), and AANFA (Atlantic Art at Night Festival Alliance). His artistic practice includes printmaking and drawings, and the subject matter of his work often revolves around flora and fauna, gender identity, and ambiguity.

Outside of his creative endeavours, Manny works as the Executive Director for Third Space, an itinerant artist-run centre in Uptown Saint John, NB. He spends his free time baking, rock climbing, video gaming, and enjoying the comopany of his partner and two cats.

Open Position

Outdoor/Site Specific Specialist

Advocates for outdoor and site specific sculpture initiatives.

Open Position

Karen Goodeve Hon. BEd

archival specialist

Advocates for archival initiatives.

MANNY TRAVERS

Educational Specialist

Our Mandate

Governance at the Canadian Centre for Sculpture (CCS) is foundational to our commitment to transparency and public trust. By establishing a leadership framework, we ensure that our national mandate, the preservation and advancement of sculptural arts, remains aligned with domestic cultural priorities and national institutional standards.

Our responsibilities extend beyond administrative oversight; they encompass the stewardship of Canada’s sculptural heritage. Through a clear structure of accountability, the Centre empowers artists and researchers, facilitating a global dialogue that respects traditional techniques while embracing contemporary innovation and inquiry.

This model supports our mandate to document, educate, and advocate for the discipline on a Canadian and international scale. By maintaining these institutional standards, the CCS secures its role as a vital leader in the arts, ensuring that the architecture of form continues to inform our national cultural identity.

The Canadian Centre for Sculpture is presently advancing toward federal not-for-profit incorporation in Canada as part of its long-term national governance framework.