BAO Team
The Brampton Arts Organization (BAO) is led by a small, dedicated staff team with extensive experience in arts administration, programming, artist support, marketing, and meaningful community engagement. With lived experience as artists and arts workers, our team brings a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the local creative sector. This informs the resources, programs, and services we offer, ensuring that we support and empower Brampton’s diverse artistic community with authenticity and care.
BAO Staff
Michael Vickers
Executive Director
Michael Vickers (he/him) is a community activator, cultural leader and practicing artist focused on providing meaningful advocacy, support and growth for the arts sector at the local level and across Canada. He is the Executive Director of the Brampton Arts Organization and has previously held roles with the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto, Akin and the Ottawa Art Gallery. Vickers holds an MA in Art History from the University of Toronto and an Honours BA in Visual Arts & Communications. His work has been exhibited locally and internationally, including presentations at Volta Basel, Mercer Union, Dutch Design Week, Art Toronto and Design TO and has been supported by the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts.
Katy Belshaw
Head of Programing
Katy Belshaw (she/her), is a cultural programmer and community builder. She holds an MA, planning from the University of Waterloo where her focus was on cultural planning. Katy has worked in the arts, culture and heritage sector for over 10 years at institutions like Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Gardenia Flores
Audience Development & Marketing
Gardenia Flores is a brand and digital marketer with a passion for arts and culture. At BAO, she brings her background in advertising and financial services and her experience with film collectives to serve the Brampton creative community.
Kiran Kaur
Finance and Admin Assistant
Kiran graduated from Amity University with a degree in Technology and has also acquired a diploma in Stage Acting from Asmita Theatre School, New Delhi. A practicing Artist herself, she is very passionate about supporting and collaborating with other Artists in the community.
Karen Kew
Fundraising & Grants Associate
Karen Kew is a passionate believer in the power of art and artists to transform communities and make a difference in people’s lives. She has over fifteen years of experience developing the resources that fuel innovative projects and programs in the arts and settlement sectors. In her past roles, she led fundraising campaigns, developed social enterprise initiatives and secured multi-year funding for programs serving equity deserving youth, newcomers and newcomer artists.
Karen has a BFA in Visual Arts and began her career as an experimental video artist, most recently presenting her work at IF (the Improvisation Festival 2021/2022), an international and multi-disciplinary celebration of improvised art. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Art Not Shame, an arts organization that supports mental health through community arts engagement.
Amanda Foulds
Education & Engagement Coordinator
Amanda is a visual artist with a focus on photography and video. She has a background in visual arts and has held roles as an arts educator and administrator in organizations across the GTA.
Board of Directors
Jael Richardson
Chair
Jael Richardson (she/her) is the author of The Stone Thrower, a book columnist on CBC’s q and the founder and Executive Director for the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) in Brampton, Ontario. Her debut novel, Gutter Child became an instant bestseller in January 2021 with HarperCollins Canada and was shortlisted for the Amazon First Novel Award. Richardson holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph and lives in Brampton, Ontario.
Prince Khan
CITP|FIBP- Treasurer
Prince Khan CITP|FIBP- Treasurer is a seasoned Business Consultant with over twelve years of diverse finance and entrepreneurship-related experience as well as a Master’s in Economic Development and Innovation from the University of Waterloo. Prince is currently the Supervisor at the Brampton Entrepreneur Centre + Coworking (BEC) space. In addition to his role at BEC, he is a lecturer at various post-secondary institutions in the GTA.
Vijai Kumar
Secretary
Vijai Kumar (he/him) is a public policy researcher who has held research positions with the Indigenomics Institute, the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and the OECD. He has a passion for local economic development and community wealth building. Vijai has been an active Bramptonian throughout his life, curating and hosting shows with the City of Brampton and advocating for Brampton artists during the development of the Brampton 2040 Vision and the Culture Master Plan. Vijai occasionally freelances for music publications including Exclaim! Magazine.
Evan Moore
Board Advisory Panel
Evan Moore (he/him) is the managing lawyer at Moore Law, where he practices civil litigation, commercial litigation, and employment law. Outside of law, enjoys playing the piano, guitar, and spending time with his wife (who is an oil painter) and their two young daughters (both of whom are burgeoning young artists). Evan is a passionate supporter of the arts in all forms and mediums and strongly believes that arts and culture are the lifeblood of a vibrant and successful community.
Samantha Clarke
Board Advisory Panel
Samantha Clarke (she/her) is a bi-racial arts and cultural worker based in Brampton, serving as the Volunteer and Audience Engagement Coordinator for The Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD). Clarke holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Arts Administration and Cultural Management. She identifies as a visual artist exploring new mediums to spark creativity.
Harman Grewal
Board Advisory Panel
Harman Grewal (he/him) is a graduate of Western University, specializing in Visual Arts with a major in Psychology. He currently works with the team at the Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network within the Ontario Centre of Innovation. Prior to this, he co-founded LAB B, Brampton’s first co-working space and community incubator, before joining ventureLAB. Alongside his professional endeavours, Harman has continued developing his own art practice. He exhibits at community events, drops limited edition prints,and has even apprenticed as a tattoo artist at 905ink.