The School of Art is proud to announce lydia see as Gallery Director and the inaugural Joseph F. Gross Endowed Curator!
See comes to the Sonoran Desert from Appalachia, where she launched Engaging Collections, a residency and publication at the intersections of representation + art with libraries, archives, and special collections, with a grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation as part of their All for NC Fellowship.
As Gallery Director, see will oversee programming in the Lionel Rombach Gallery and the Joseph Gross Gallery. The Rombach Gallery was recently renovated and its first show in the renovated space was the 2022 BFA Exhibition.
“I have seen the excitement that lydia brings to conversations with students in the gallery during the most recent installations and I am thrilled to see her curatorial work, engagement with the students, and enthusiasm thrive as she brings her expertise to the galleries and school,” said Karen Zimmermann, assistant director and professor.
“The Gross and Rombach Galleries are spaces rife with potential,” said see. “They are uniquely situated to both bring the art world to our students, and to be a springboard from which School of Art students may show the world what they are capable of.”
see also has plans to rejuvenate the student gallery experience and how to leverage the galleries to elevate an art degree to a new level.
“One of my immediate initiatives is creating a robust professional practice support system for students, particularly those who participate in the Gallery Practices class, so that they may gain valuable work experience which will be immediately applicable when seeking employment post-grad,” she said.
“The ‘preparatory crew’ will offer students fairly compensated gallery work experience over multiple semesters — with increasing responsibility in curatorial, administrative, and preparatory applications — equipping them with several years’ experience on their resume as they enter the job market.”
See brings a fresh perspective and new energy to the School of Art. She is looking forward to future collaborations and connections in the School, across campus, and in the community. “I’m excited to co-create an exhibition plan and galleries program with our students, staff, and faculty which meets the needs of our community and encourages engagement across disciplines.”
Next time you visit the Lionel Rombach and Joseph Gross Galleries, say “Howdy” to lydia.