Hessel was born in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1955 [REF].
During the same period, he was guest curator for the exhibition Sanattiaqsimajut: Inuit Art from the Carleton University Art Gallery Collection (2009),[REF] and at the Art Gallery of Ontario where he co-curated Inuit Modern: Inuit Art from the Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection (2011) with Gerald McMaster [REF].