Art about

by Sean McCarthy

While expanding the public’s understanding of what art can be, executive director Suzanne de Vegh aims to take this downtown New Bedford location on a trajectory of greater recognition by building on its sense of community.

Since taking the helm last September, de Vegh’s lifetime of experience in the art world has folks in the greater New Bedford area eagerly anticipating what she will bring to the establishment.

“I feel like everything I’ve done has brought me to this moment,” de Vegh says. “Coming to lead a museum like this is absolutely a dream come true. It’s what I’ve wanted to do my whole adult life.”

With an abundance of experience in the New York art industry and with extensive academic achievement, de Vegh has the support of her regional peers.

“Central to my curatorial vision for the Museum is to celebrate artists who push technical boundaries and utilize media in innovative ways. The Museum will focus on artists who deploy media such as glass, sound, fragrance, and floral materials to new conceptual and expressive ends.” she says. “We will concentrate on areas within the art world that are really coming into their own, are being re-evaluated, and are ascending into the category of fine art. The kinds of artworks and exhibitions that we plan to display will make us a destination not just in our community, but will bring visitors from far and wide.”

Upcoming exhibitions in 2023 include social practice, sound art, and street art. The museum will be collaborating with multiple area entities to help grow its cultural reach, including UMassDartmouth, DATMA, The New Bedford Free Public Library, and New Bedford Light.

According to de Vegh, this is a time of evolution for the contemporary art world, and an opportunity for the museum to provide new offerings.

“The old model for museums was object-driven and curator-driven –museums as temples to culture. I'm interested in a lively, responsive, and nimble institutional model,” de Vegh says. “Over the last 25 years or so the conversation has shifted. Now museums care much more about the audience and their experiences. It’s about making exhibitions welcoming, inclusive, and relevant to visitors – creating exhibitions that invite your voice and participation.

“My goal is for the museum to be a forum; a place where we can have public conversations about things that matter to our community and engage with the issues and ideas of our time. Museums are primarily educational, and if we do things properly, we can encourage dialogue and awaken all five senses within our viewers.”

Rich opportunity

“Suzanne is absolutely communitybased,” says Lawrence Jenkens, Dean of the UMass-Dartmouth’s College of Visual and Performing Arts and the Chair of the museum’s Board of Directors. “In the three months that she has been here, she’s had many, many conversations with partners and collaborators around the South Coast. She understands the need here to marry the broader contemporary art world to New Bedford, to bring exhibitions to New Bedford that have a relevance for the community, to collaborate with other arts and culture institutions, to continue to serve the community, but at the same time expand our horizons in general.”

De Vegh’s interest in art goes back to her early childhood in Tinton Falls, NJ, where her father owned a cultural center known as The Old Mill. The facility hosted a theatre, a dance studio, a gallery, and studios. It was open all hours of the day for those who wanted to draw, paint, sculpt, rehearse, and more.

“It was fertile ground for so many people and a launching pad for their careers, but more than that it was a center for our community,” de Vegh says. “As I was listening about the museum during my interview process, it was clear to me that New Bedford is a community where local artists thrive.”

De Vegh says that there is a “richness” to New Bedford. “New Bedford has such cultural and artistic diversity, it’s a great banquet,” she says. “What I love about it is that any night of the week I can have an incredible aesthetic experience. I can go to any number of places – there is history, culture, art, and music. The thing that really strikes me is how open and friendly the people are here, how willing and able my partners are in the arts and culture community. I have so many great partnerships in the works already.”

In addition to its exhibitions, the museum’s offerings include public programs, classes, and workshops. Classes and workshops offer learning and insights into what is on view in the museum’s gallery. Public programs are held once a week in the evening. Recent public programs have included dance performances, poetry readings, and live music.

A listing of the museum’s offerings can be viewed at their website, newbedfordart.org.