Profile
Kerry Swanson
Strategic Advisor
Kerry Swanson is Co-Executive Director of the Indigenous Screen Office, Canada’s largest Indigenous-led funding organization for Indigenous screen-based content. A seasoned executive and fundraiser, Kerry has supported the creation and growth of some of Canada’s leading Indigenous arts organizations and initiatives over the last two decades. She has served as both Board Chair and Executive Director of the imagineNATIVE, the world’s largest Indigenous film and media arts festival. She is a Co-founder of Indigenous Fashion Arts (IFA) biennial festival at Harbourfront Centre. Kerry was Associate Director of Granting at the Ontario Arts Council, where she launched the Indigenous Culture Fund, a $5 million annual program. She developed and led a number of innovative arts funding programs at the Toronto Arts Council, including the Cultural Leadership Lab at the Banff Centre, the Indigenous Arts Program, and the Open Door Fund. Kerry has a Masters in Communication and Culture from Ryerson University. Her project thesis, based on the work of Kent Monkman, was nominated for a Governor General’s Silver Medal. Kerry was born and raised in Chapleau, northern Ontario, in a family of Cree/Ojibwe, Irish and French heritage. She is a band member of Michipicoten First Nation with familial ties to Chapleau Cree First Nation.