director’s message

 

In early March we received approval from Santa  Clara University’s Provost to post our Curator of Exhibit and Collections vacant position. This was welcome news to all, especially during these difficult financial times and with a position management system in place at Santa Clara. Applications are coming in and the recruitment process is moving along smoothly. Our goal is to have this position filled within the next few months.

 

The spring quarter is about to begin. In eleven weeks the 2008-2009 academic year will come to a close. Where did the academic year go? Our students are busy completing their year of study and are making plans for travel or are gearing up for work assignments during the summer break. Some of our students are graduating with their plans of securing full-time employment, which comes at a difficult time with our current economy being the worst in decades. There are signs of budding trees and bursts of color from blooming flowers which signifies rejuvenation and new beginnings. It is definitely a time of transition and change.

 

On Friday, April 17, we will open Tech Tools of the Trade: Contemporary New Media Art with a preview reception from 7:00-9:00 p.m. This survey exhibition features eighteen artists whose work uses new media─ defined in the context of this exhibition as electronic, digital, and web-based. This exhibition explores the ways technology is shaping our lives and our world around us. It is designed to be accessible to first-time new media audiences as well as sophisticated viewers.

 

I would also like to draw your attention to a From the Vault exhibition titled, Lou Albert-Lasard: A German Expressionist in Bohemian Paris, which is being showcased in Gallery IV within our public display cabinets. These works were discovered during our current conservation assessment survey supported through a generous grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. We realized we had a limited amount of information about this artist and body of work. Senior art history student Lauren Baines conducted research, guest-curated From the Vault exhibition, and wrote an accompanying brochure documenting her finds about this important female artist. I hope you get a chance to enjoy this mini presentation of these works on paper which are long over-due for recognition.

 

See you in the galleries soon!

 

Rebecca M. Schapp

Director