From the Editor

Adaptation–something we all experienced together over the past year and something that the Arts as a whole did quite well, in my opinion. One good that came was the decision to always make our exhibitions available online which may sometimes be after they have been open for awhile or even after. We’ve learned that the many benefits include expanding our reach, extending the life of our exhibitions and increasing our works online.

Now, as we head into COVID year two, we are faced with more challenges and changes. First, we are in the middle of our reaccreditation with the American Alliance of Museums, an accreditation that we take great pride in maintaining. Equally critical is the search for our new Director. Our leader for the past 20 years, Robert S. Wicks, is preparing for his retirement at the end of this academic year. And as if that weren’t enough, Program Associate Sue Gambrell retired at the end of 2020, with two other senior staff also heading into retirement. Preparator and Building Manager Mark DeGennaro (27 years) retires June 1, followed shortly after by our Curator of Education, Cynthia Collins (17 years), on July 1. As you might imagine this is a bitter-sweet time for us all as we plan for and adjust to these changes on a team that experienced minimal turnover throughout the years. A silver lining, however, is that we welcomed Wendy Owens from Career Services as our new Program Associate. Though bittersweet, we are so very happy that Sue, Mark, Cynthia and Bob have reached this wonderful life milestone and will begin their next chapters. We are sad to see their presence and expertise depart, as each has played critical roles in creating the engaging and impactful museum that we all know and love.

Rest assured they will remain active in our museum family as we trek forward. The next chapter for the museum is a post-pandemic one with new members on the team. Take a chance during the Spring semester to say congratulations either virtually or when you come in for a visit. We will be masked up and practicing COVID protocols for everyone’s safety.

So be sure to ENJOY the Visual Arts at Miami virtually and in-person, where that is an option, and welcome back to another exciting semester!

Sherri Krazl, Editor

Visual Arts at Miami (VAAM) is a bi-annual publication of the Miami University Art Museum (MUAM) showcasing visual arts at Miami University for members and the arts community.

Distributed in digital only format during COVID (Fall 2020 & Spring 2021) Visual Arts at Miami is available digitally through the companion blog at blogs. MiamiOH.edu/VisualArts.