DePaul Art Museum, named a “hidden gem” by Travel and Leisure magazine in 2015, welcomes Mia Lopez as assistant curator and Laura-Caroline Johnson as collection and exhibition manager. (DePaul University/Maria Toscano)CHICAGO — DePaul Art Museum announces the hiring of Mia Lopez as assistant curator and Laura-Caroline Johnson as collection and exhibition manager. The museum, named a “hidden gem” by Travel and Leisure magazine in 2015, is located on DePaul University’s Lincoln Park Campus.
Lopez, who has more than 10 years of experience working in museums, was most recently the Curatorial Fellow for Visual Arts at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. She is a former Smithsonian Latino Museum Studies program fellow and recently completed the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Leadership Institute. Prior to these activities, she was a programming coordinator for Museo Alameda in San Antonio. Lopez has two master’s degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, one in art history and the second in arts administration. She also has a bachelor’s degree in art history from Rice University in Houston.
Johnson, who has experience in collections management, registrar work and exhibition planning, most recently was the collections and exhibitions manager for The Richard H. Driehaus Museum in Chicago. Previously, Johnson was curator and teaching assistant at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and chief registrar for the institute’s Roger Brown Study Collection. She also was a curatorial and registrar assistant at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. Johnson has two master’s degrees from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, one in art history and the second in arts administration. She also has a bachelor’s degree in art from Rhodes College in Memphis.
“We are fortunate to attract two knowledgeable art professionals, who have both academic backgrounds and experience to support our commitment to interdisciplinary thinking from Chicago and beyond. Mia and Laura-Caroline will play significant roles in the museum’s effort to build an inclusive community around art and ideas that explore the vast range of human experience and expression,” said Julie Rodrigues Widholm, director and chief curator for the museum.
As assistant curator, Lopez will support the needs of the museum’s ambitious collection and exhibition program.
Mia Lopez joins DePaul Art Museum as assistant curator. “I was particularly drawn to DePaul Art Museum’s mission of social justice, inclusion and opportunity through art,” she said. (DePaul University/Jamie Moncrief)
“With her experience as a curatorial fellow, Mia is prepared to step into a position that will rely on her to aid with research, planning, installation and university outreach,” said Widholm. “I am thrilled to bring Mia’s talents as a writer, educator, and advocate for Latino/a artists, to our team.”
“I was particularly drawn to DePaul Art Museum’s mission of social justice, inclusion and opportunity through art, and look forward to developing new ways to engage the DePaul and greater Chicago communities,” Lopez said.
In the role of collection and exhibition manager, Johnson will manage a permanent collection of more than 3,000 objects, including the newest acquisition of 114 works by 59 Chicago artists donated by collector Chuck Thurow.
“Laura-Caroline will be responsible for the care and safety of the collection and works on loan to the museum and the installation of exhibitions, while helping to make the collection a dynamic resource for DePaul faculty and students. She is familiar with Chicago artists and our strength in international modern and contemporary art,” Widholm said.
Laura-Caroline Johnson joins DePaul Art Museum as the collection and exhibition manager. What I find exciting about this position is the opportunity to work in DePaul’s academic environment, with a museum collection that is incredibly broad and has a series of ambitious exhibitions to match,” she said. (DePaul University/Jamie Moncrief)
“What I find exciting about the collection and exhibition manager position is the opportunity to work in DePaul’s academic environment, with a museum collection that is incredibly broad and has a series of ambitious exhibitions to match,” said Johnson.
DePaul Art Museum’s fall exhibition, “On Space and Place: Contemporary Art from Chicago, Los Angeles, Mexico City and Vancouver,” is set to open Sept. 15. More information about this international art exhibition is at
http://depaulne.ws/OnSpace.
Admission is free at DePaul Art Museum, which is located at 935 W. Fullerton, just east of the CTA’s Fullerton ‘L’ stop. Currently closed through Sept. 15 for installation, regular museum hours are Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. For more on DePaul Art Museum’s upcoming exhibitions and events, call 773-325-7506 or visit
http://museums.depaul.edu/.
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Source:
Julie Rodrigues Widholm
Media Contact:
Carol Hughes
312-362-8592