The West Virginia University College of Creative Arts welcomes Mary Esposito to the staff as assistant director of development.

Esposito brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team from her nine years of employment at the WVU Foundation, where she oversaw annual giving programs including WVU Day of Giving, Women of WVU and Gold Blue and You Faculty and Staff Campus Campaign. She also worked with units all across campus on their annual giving solicitations – including the College of Creative Arts.

The Art Museum of West Virginia University acquired 56 works of art in 2020, ranging from prints to ceramics to paintings, many of which support the museum’s mission to diversify its permanent collection.

“The Art Museum is steadfastly committed to diversifying its holdings by strategically acquiring works by women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ artists—such as Kerry James Marshall and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith—in order to tell more inclusive, varied and nuanced histories of artistic production,” said Director Todd J. Tubutis. “We also continue to build the collection in ways that support and complement teaching and research interests across campus, particularly for students in the School of Art and Design, and reflect the experiences of the region.”

The Art Museum of West Virginia University is the first venue on a national tour of an installation that celebrates photographer Walker Evans’s landmark solo exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 1938. A leading figure in the history of American documentary photography, Evans is today considered one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.

The exhibition opens Jan. 22 and runs through April 25.

The Art Museum of West Virginia University is typically a buzzing building. Open to the public on weekends and school groups during the week, the museum welcomes thousands of visitors a year to use art as a medium to better understand the world.

The Covid-19 Pandemic put an abrupt halt to the museum’s day-to-day operations. With campus closed, how does the museum reach its audiences? The staff had to get creative.

The Art Museum of West Virginia University recently acquired “Four Seasons,” a suite of four color photographs from nationally recognized contemporary artist Wendy Red Star.

“The ‘Four Seasons’ series is about the representation of Native peoples in museums,” said Red Star. “This work is meant to promote education and awareness so it is fitting that the work is in an academic museum at a Big 12 school. 

The Art Museum of West Virginia University opens again on Saturday, Aug. 29 with a new exhibition, new hours and new guidelines to keep visitors safe.

“Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press” will be on view in the Upper Gallery at the museum through Dec. 13. The traveling exhibition was organized by Carrie Lederer, Curator of Exhibitions, Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, California.