Open Studio’s Board of Directors and staff announce that Executive Director Patrick (Pat) Macaulay will step down from his role at the end of this year.
Pat joined Open Studio in December 2017 after 26 years as Director of Visual Arts at Harbourfront Centre. Pat graduated with an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA from NSCAD University and brought extensive experience in the visual arts sector from the U.S. and Canada.
During his time at Open Studio, he worked closely with staff, the Board, and Toronto’s broader arts community on governance, long-term planning, and sustainability. Pat’s dedication was instrumental in guiding the institution through pandemic challenges, fiscal trials and organizational revisioning. For more than nine years of significant change and growth, Pat held to the belief that Open Studio was a foremost print centre for Toronto, Canada, and of global significance. He was a determined champion of Open Studio when it was at the precipice of closing.
Early in his role, he oversaw improvements to enhance gallery presentation and accessibility for visitors and artists, the introduction of a new shop space for selling artists’ work, and the conversion of the members’ gallery into a dedicated project space supporting immersive installations and expanded approaches to printmaking. He also supported efforts to expand access to printmaking and reduce barriers to participation, including the establishment of an EDI committee and initiatives focused on accessibility and inclusion. Pat helped strengthen institutional infrastructure, including adopting a more professional approach to the archive and developing a curated collection.
He helped extend print beyond 401 Richmond by supporting public projects such as the Stantec Window Gallery, StreetARToronto electrical boxes, Toronto Ferry Terminal, and First Canadian Place, among others. In 2024, when Open Studio faced the possibility of closure, Pat was a determined advocate for the organization and led the effort to preserve this vital space for printmaking in Canada. Thanks to the support of members, donors, and funders, Open Studio was able to stabilize, restructure, and continue operations through its 55th anniversary year in 2025. That period also created an opportunity to reconfigure and renew the studio space. Pat’s vision and hours of manual labour ushered in a studio that now operates as an open creative environment, welcoming a range of creative practices while maintaining a focus on printmaking as a collaborative and experimental medium.
As Kathleen Lew shared: “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I express my sincere gratitude for Pat’s work at Open Studio for over nine years. His contributions have been instrumental, from his strong leadership of staff and membership to his dedication to Open Studio’s future through his advocacy, fundraising, and strategic oversight. Cheers to Pat as he enters this exciting new chapter!”
The Board and staff thank Pat for his years of leadership, big ideas, and contributions to Open Studio and wish him all the best in what comes next.
The Board will begin a public search for Open Studio’s next Executive Director in the coming weeks. Further details will be shared when available.