MAC’s Hardesty named curator at WSU art museum

By Debby Stinson, Museum of Art

Ryan-Hardesty-80PULLMAN, Wash. – Art curator and exhibit designer Ryan Hardesty has been selected as the new curator of art and exhibitions for the Museum of Art at Washington State University.

He is known for work with the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC) in Spokane, Wash., as well as for curating public art projects for the state arts commission. He installed numerous exhibitions for the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston.

“Ryan Hardesty is a perfect fit for this position,” said Kevin Haas, WSU fine arts professor and search committee member. “He is experienced in managing exhibitions in a museum setting and expertly manages the complexities of handling artwork, coordinating staff and maintaining fixed deadlines.

Ryan-Hardesty-by-Dean-Davis-500
Ryan Hardesty by Dean Davis.

“Having worked at the MAC in Spokane, he brings a great deal of knowledge of the region, its history and its artists to WSU,” Hass said. “This is the perfect balance needed to bring and showcase exceptional exhibitions to WSU, while also connecting them thematically and programmatically to the larger community.”

Other search committee members were Emily Kassebaum, WSU student; Angel Nava, arts and program coordinator for Student Involvement WSU; Anna Maria Shannon, associate director of the WSU museum; and Zach Mazur, curator of education and collections at the museum.

“We were looking for someone who has deep expertise in museum practices, who knows the region and its artistic resources and who is a great team player,” said Chris Bruce, museum director. “We found all those qualities in Ryan Hardesty.”

“His experience will certainly round out our curatorial team and provide us with the opportunity to develop exciting new programming opportunities,” said Mazur.

Learn more about the museum at http://museum.wsu.edu, http://www.facebook.com/museum.of.art.WSU and http://www.wsumuseumclass.com or contact staff at 509-335-1910.

 

Contacts: 
Debby Stinson, Museum of Art/WSU, 509-335-6282, debby_stinson@wsu.edu
Anna-Maria Shannon, Museum of Art/WSU, 509-335-6140, annamshannon@wsu.edu