Equity and Community Access Among American Art Museums: A conversation with Alex Nyerges, director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Paul Rucker, visiting professor at the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design

Location

Online

Event Description

How can museums make their collections more inclusive and their spaces more welcoming to all?

Join us for an exclusive event with GW alumnus, Alex Nyerges, CCAS BA '79, MA '82, director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in conversation with artist Paul Rucker, visiting professor of community engagement at the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design. They will discuss Alex's role at VMFA, equity in and access to American art museums, and how VMFA is leading the field in creating inclusivity.

For the last fourteen years, Alex Nyerges has led VMFA, one of the nation's top 10 comprehensive art museums. Alex, who has more than 36 years of experience as an art museum director, came to VMFA from the Dayton Art Institute, where he was director and CEO from 1992 to 2006. Among his many achievements, he was honored by the Richmond Times-Dispatch as a top-10 Person of the Year in 2015 for increasing the attendance and accessibility of VMFA. As Director of VMFA, Alex has been responsible for many exciting and far-reaching strategic initiatives that have transformed the institution, making it more accessible, diverse, and inclusive.

Paul Rucker is a visual artist, composer, and musician and his work is the product of a rich interactive process, through which he investigates community impacts, human rights issues, historical research and basic human emotions surrounding a particular subject matter. He has presented performances and visual art exhibitions across the country and has collaborated with educational institutions to address the issue of mass incarceration. Paul has received numerous awards in recognition of his work including a 2017 John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, a 2018 TED Fellowship, a 2020 TED Senior Fellowship and the 2018 Arts Innovator Award from the Dale and Leslie Chihuly Foundation and Artist Trust.

System Requirements

This event will take place via Zoom - access details will be provided closer to the event date. Please note that this event will take place at 12pm EST.