▲ Kelly Dawson, Chief Operations Officer
▲ Jill McRae, Conservator Technician
tackle everything from troubleshooting fire safety and electrical upgrades across the complex to installing new generators below the library. Meanwhile in the Centre’s art gallery, it’s conservator technician Jill McRae who’s busily preserving, restoring, and installing its magnificent 17,000+ piece collection. Using an arsenal of levels, hammers, drills, and cutting tools, she’s trained in elevated platform work so she can hover near the Centre’s 30-foot ceilings to complete massive installations. Armed with a double major in history and anthropology and a minor in fine art history from the University of Prince Edward Island and a collection
management and conservation degree from Fleming College in Peterborough, Ont., McRae worked in museums across Canada before returning home to the Island. She’d hoped to volunteer at the Centre, but wound up being “in the right place at the right time” and arrived just as its conservator was retiring after three decades of service. “I grew up on PEI and left a few times — for school and work — but I always wanted to come back. I love it here and we’re so privileged to have such a large gallery in Charlottetown.” McRae admits she used to feel nervous about installing shows on her own. In fact, she was once consulting on paintings in a church and a contractor
assumed she was “someone’s daughter, tagging along.” But soon she realized her logic skills and eye for detail meant she was more than qualified for the task. “I don’t always look like what people are expecting, but I don’t mind that anymore. Sometimes it’s even more possible than you think to carve out space for yourself, and do what you love.”
Confederation Centre of the Arts 145 Richmond Street, Charlottetown 902.628.1864 info@confederationcentre.com www.confederationcentre.com
SPRING 2021 www.pei-living.ca
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