Ariel Smith, Administrator (Interim)

Ariel Smith Ariel Smith (She/Her) is an award winning nêhiyaw and Jewish filmmaker, video artist, writer, and cultural worker.

After originally joining NWIA in 2018 in the role of Artistic Producer, she was subsequently promoted to the role of Artistic and Managing Director. After six years as the artistic and administrative head of the organization Ariel stepped down form her position as Artistic and Managing Director in early 2024 due to a relocation to the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples in Vancouver B.C. and her desire to focus on her own artistic practice. Ariel is currently working remotely from Vancouver as the Interim Administrator for NWIA until a Toronto based replacement is secured. In her role as Interim Administrator Ariel is responsible for the daily business operations of the organization as well as grant writing, fundraising and financial management.

Ariel has over a decade of experience in arts administration and management. She has worked as the Technical Director of SAW Video Media Arts Centre in Ottawa Ontario from 2006 to 2014, was the Director of the National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition from 2013 to 2016 and,  was the Executive Director of imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival where she oversaw the 2016 and 2017 festival editions. She is currently working on completing her MFA in film production from York University.

Quach George, Artistic Director

img_5559Quach George is originally from Shawnee, Oklahoma with roots from the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and Mohawks of Akwesasne. Quach first joined NWIA as a Programming Coordinator in 2016, eventually being promoted to the position of Programming Manager in 2019 and stepping in to the role of Artistic Director in early 2024. In her role as Artistic Director Quach is responsible for the curation of all of NWIA’s artistic programming

Along with over 8 years of experience working for NWIA, Quach previously worked with imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival as part of the events team, Luminato Festival as an Event Coordinator for Tributaries, with Setsune Indigenous Fashion Incubator as the Event Coordinator for the Indian Giver exhibition, as a mentor for the Toronto Indigenous Youth Collective’s Love and Leadership Conference, the Indigenous Art Curator for the City of Toronto’s Moss Park/John Innes Community Centre Public Art Project and the StreetARToronto King-Liberty Pedestrian Bridge.

With a love for all things art-related, Quach is committed to offering the Indigenous community with quality programs that offer a resurgence and preservation of Indigenous arts and culture.