SSNAP proudly welcomes the Parallel Art Show 2027/28 Jury

Jesse Birch

Jesse Birch is a curator, writer, educator, and artist who was born and raised on Snuneymuxw territory (Nanaimo, BC). Jesse has lived and worked in Vancouver, Seoul, Kyoto, and Amsterdam, and in 2014, he returned to Vancouver Island to reconnect with his home community as Curator of Nanaimo Art Gallery. Jesse holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (Photography) from Emily Carr University, a Master of Arts degree in Art History (Critical and Curatorial Studies) from the University of British Columbia, and he is an alumnus of the Curatorial Program at De Appel Arts Centre in the Netherlands. He sees curating as both a profession and a collaborative practice that brings artists and artworks into relation with people, places, and histories.

Leah McDiarmid

Leah McDiarmid is the owner/gallery director of the Tofino Gallery of Contemporary Art. The gallery made its debut in June 2021 and is the recipient of the 2025 Tofino Chamber of Commerce ‘Small Business of the Year’ award. Representing 35 Canadian contemporary artists in painting, sculpture & photography, the gallery has garnered an appreciative following for its thoughtful curation of unique artworks in a wide range of mediums. Leah is Vice President of the Tofino Arts Council and founder of West Coast Visions, an annual juried art show sponsored by Tofino Arts Council.

Elizabeth Nolan

Elizabeth Nolan has been the Artcraft Gallery Manager for the Salt Spring Arts Council since September 2021, following many years reporting on local arts and culture for the Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper. Her writing earned numerous community newspaper awards at the national and provincial levels, including gold in Arts & Culture writing in 2019 for a series on Salt Spring’s maturing arts scene. Her passion for supporting the island arts community has also led to work with many other local institutions. Elizabeth completed an honours degree in English/Cultural Studies at McGill University. She received her Master’s degree from Simon Fraser University in the School of Communication in 2004, with a thesis focussing on women filmmakers in Vancouver and the “ceiling” placed on women artists and auteurs. She and her family have lived on Salt Spring since 2003.