Biography

Missy LeBlanc (Métis/nêhiyaw/Polish, citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta) is a curator, researcher, and writer based on the Prairies. In 2019, she was the winner of the Middlebrook Prize for Young Canadian Curators and a runner-up for the Canadian Art Writing Prize. LeBlanc holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alberta, double majoring in the History of Art, Design, and Visual Culture and Sociology (2015) and a Diploma in Arts & Cultural Management from MacEwan University (2017). LeBlanc recently completed a Master of Arts in Cultural Studies (Curatorial Practices) from the University of Winnipeg on Treaty 1 Territory.

Her recent curatorial projects include Atautchikun | wâhkôtamowin (co-curated with Kablusiak, 2021) and Tina Guyani | Deer Road (2019). As the inaugural Curatorial Resident at TRUCK Contemporary Art (2019-2023), LeBlanc curated two exhibitions—Taskoch pipon kona kah nipa muskoseya, nepin pesim eti pimachihew | Like the winter snow kills the grass, the summer sun revives it and Mamanaw Pekiskwewina | Mother Tongues—organized a one day gathering, and wrote and designed a risograph publication centered on Indigenous language revitalization and epistemologies in November/December 2019. The project was on tour across so-called Canada from November 2021 - January 2023.

Grounded in modalities of care and relational accountability, LeBlanc’s curatorial and writing practice centers the voices and stories of those that have often been ignored by the historically white, patriarchal, heteronormative, and ableist art world. By providing platforms for people that have been marginalized to share their stories, LeBlanc aims to create spaces and environments that will produce equitable and sustainable change within the arts and cultural sectors.

Selected Accolades & Media

Winner (with Erin Szikora), 2022 GOG Public Program Award. See the full list of winners.

Runner-up, 2019 Canadian Art Writing Prize. Read the announcement.

Interviewed by Matt Galloway from Metro Morning, CBC Radio Toronto for the 2019 Middlebrook Prize for Young Canadian Curators. Listen here.

Winner, 2019 Middlebrook Prize for Young Canadian Curators. Read the announcement.