Dr. Caterina Pizanias was born and raised in Athens, Greece. She came to North America in her late teens, and undertook her undergraduate and graduate studies in the US and Canada. Despite her academic career in North America, Caterina has kept her contacts in the art world on both sides of the Atlantic. Before founding The ArtExchange, Caterina taught, published, lectured, and curated art exhibits across Canada, the United States and Greece.

Caterina has always been passionate in promoting Greek culture and the arts! Among her other accomplishments, she organized the first (and only) Conference on the Greek Arts in Edmonton, produced and directed Mikis Theodorakis' oratorio To Axion Esti to celebrate Greek poet Odysseas Elytis' Nobel Prize for Poetry, was founder and Artistic Director of the Kyklos Performing and Literary Arts Group, organized an exhibit of works on paper by noted Greek artists Yiannis Tsarouchis, Dimitris Mytaras, and Nicos Nicolaou, and acted as dramaturge for the production of Aristophanes' The Bacchae by the Northern Light Theatre of Edmonton.

Caterina has been very active in the arts community—and her board and committee work always seems to involve Greek art and culture! As a member of the Board of Directors of Northern Lights Theatre (Edmonton) and Kinesis Dance Company (Vancouver), she raised funds for Greek artists in Canada, and introduced the work of Greek artists such as Mihalis Economou, Maria Klonaris and Katerina Thomadaki, and Jenny Marketou among many others. Presently serving on the Board of Directors of The Triangle Gallery (Calgary), she is organizing an exhibit of Greek marble sculpture in Calgary, and an exhibit of Albertan sculpture in Greece.

Caterina has been introducing colleagues and other travellers to Greece as a modern nation through its expressive culture for more than ten years. She is fluently bi-lingual, a published author and expert on Greek contemporary visual arts, a walking encyclopedia of Greek trivia (from flowers, herbs, and Greek folklore...to Greek food and wine, mythology, and the everyday quirks of Greek life)-and ever so enthusiastic about her mother country!