Ammar Mahimwalla, GCLP 2017
Ammar Mahimwalla was a participant in the 2017 edition of the Global Cultural Leadership Programme.
Ammar is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Urban Planning at McGill University, Montreal. Combining his interest in visual arts with an understanding of the impact of the built landscape, Ammar is exploring new models for non-profit property ownership and development for arts and culture organizations. Working as a development intern with PortLiving, Ammar has been involved in rezoning and site planning processes developing a strong understanding of the financial and regulatory forces shaping mixed use real estate development in Vancouver, B.C. Between 2013 – 2018 Ammar worked as the Director of Public Projects at the Vancouver Biennale, a non-profit organization that that celebrates art in public space by building community and transforming neighborhoods into an accessible Open Air Museum. He led project and stakeholder management and partnership development initiatives for over 25 temporary and permanent large scale-public art installations across Metro Vancouver. Prior to this he worked as a program consultant for the BMW Guggenheim Lab in Mumbai from 2011-2013, as part of an international interdisciplinary team exploring the lived experiences of residences in global cities. He was also the Education Officer at the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai, responsible for developing visitor outreach programing. Ammar has Bachelors in arts degrees in Anthropology & History from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver.
“The GCLP was a real eye-opener. The program provided a perfect opportunity to reflect, share and engage with a talented group of like minded arts professionals from around the world in a safe space where burning issues, trends and successes were shared, discussed and analyzed. This opportunity has re-enforced my understanding of the importance of international collaboration and intercultural exchange while providing new insight about diverse regions of the world. The best part about this experience was the inter-personal relationships and cultural understanding which was made possible by the dedicated efforts of an expert and experienced group of facilitators!”
In order to introduce themselves and their organizations, the participants prepared a poster.
