SUNY New Paltz and the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art are pleased to announce the appointment of Anastasia James as the museum’s new curator of exhibitions and programs, effective Oct. 2, 2017.
James holds an M.A. in Curatorial Studies from The Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College. She comes to The Dorsky Museum from The Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) in San Francisco, Calif., where she served as associate curator.
“The Dorsky is among the most important centers of art in the northeast, and I’m looking forward to collaborating with the excellent museum staff, faculty colleagues and the wider campus community to continue building diverse, experimental and rigorous programs that are both locally and nationally relevant,” James said.
While at the CJM, James played a vital role in the development of exhibitions and related educational programs.
Among the exhibitions she curated is Cary Leibowitz: Museum Show, a comprehensive career survey of the New York-based artist. James was also the organizing curator for a 2016 retrospective of the work of Stanley Kubrick.
As an independent curator, James organized the 2015 exhibition Brigid Berlin: It’s All about Me, at Invisible-Exports, and the 2014 exhibition Billy Name: The Silver Age, at Milk Gallery. As assistant curator at The Queens Museum of Art, she organized the 2014 exhibition 13 Most Wanted: Andy Warhol and the 1964 World’s Fair.
“We are thrilled to have Anastasia join the team at The Dorsky,” said Sara Pasti, Neil C. Trager director. “Her interest in the unique opportunities for innovation and education offered by a university art museum is well suited for our museum. Anastasia’s experience in contemporary art and photography—a focus area of The Dorsky’s collection—and her hands-on experience working with artists are sure to bring new ideas and opportunities to The Dorsky Museum and to SUNY New Paltz at large.”
In addition to managing The Dorsky Museum’s exhibitions and public programs, James will also teach museum studies courses at New Paltz starting in 2018.
Visit The Dorsky Museum online to learn more.
ABOUT THE MUSEUM
Through its collections, exhibitions, and public programs, the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, located at SUNY New Paltz, supports and enriches the academic programs at the college, presents a broad range of world art for study and enjoyment, and serves as a center for Hudson Valley arts and culture. The museum is gaining wide recognition as the premier public showplace for exhibition, education, and cultural scholarship about the Hudson Valley region’s art and artists from yesterday and today. With more than 9,000 square feet of exhibition space distributed over six galleries, The Dorsky Museum is one of the largest museums within the SUNY system. The Dorsky was officially dedicated on Oct. 20, 2001. Since then it has presented over one hundred exhibitions, including commissions, collection-based projects, and in-depth studies of contemporary artists including Robert Morris, Alice Neel, Judy Pfaff, Carolee Schneemann, Ushio Shinohara, historic Woodstock artists Eugene Speicher and Charles Rosen, and Hudson Valley luminaries Russel Wright and Dick Polich.
Museum Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, Holidays, and Intersessions.
For more information about The Dorsky Museum and its programs, visit www.newpaltz.edu/museum, or call (845) 257-3844.
