The University of Lynchburg’s Daura Museum of Art has a new director. Brooke Marcy, who previously served as curator at Riverviews Artspace in downtown Lynchburg, will assume the role on Sept. 18.
“I believe Brooke’s experience will bring new connections to the museum, and I’m excited to work with her as the leader of the Daura Museum team,” Provost Dr. Allison Jablonski wrote in a campuswide email on Wednesday.
Marcy also is an adjunct professor of art at the University and has taught at Randolph College and George Mason University.
She recently curated the “Art to the People” project, which was exhibited at Miriam’s House, Rush Homes, The Arc, YWCA, Lynchburg Daily Bread, Lynchburg Department of Social Services, and the Lynchburg Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, and was a guest curator at the Legacy Museum of African American History, all in Lynchburg.
“Art is my passion, and inspiring that passion in others through teaching and curating has been my primary focus for years,” Marcy said. “I now have the opportunity to bring that passion to the Daura Museum, and I could not be more excited.”
Marcy’s love of art began in preschool. It carried through her public and private school years to her formal education at Hamilton College, the Art Students League of New York, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, and George Mason University, where she earned her MFA.
Marcy has worked at the Museum of Modern Art and the Art Capital Group, both in New York City, and is a dedicated oil painter and strong supporter of the arts. An active member of the Lynchburg arts community for many years, she’s maintained a studio at Riverviews.
“I’m looking forward to finding ways to unite the University of Lynchburg community and the greater Lynchburg community through dynamic interdisciplinary exhibitions and programming,” Marcy said, adding that she also plans to “create an inclusive space that challenges, inspires, and educates by supporting the classrooms and students in all disciplines.”
In her new, threefold role as a steward of the museum, art professor, and facilitator, Marcy wants to “ask questions, listen, learn, and collaborate,” as well as “connect the Daura Museum, the University of Lynchburg community, and the greater Lynchburg community” to “develop an interactive and engaging museum space.”
The Daura’s fall exhibitions include “The Inherent Truth” — Works from the American photographer David Seltzer (Lobby Gallery) and “Lifespan of the Horizontal Line” by Turkish-American artist Bilgé Friedlaender (Gallery II) from Aug. 21-Oct. 6 and “When Do You Feel Safe?” — an interactive installation of bells made from weapons by artist Stephanie Mercedes (Gallery II) from Oct. 16-Dec. 8.
The permanent exhibit on display in Gallery I is “Works from the Collection: An Accumulation of Objects Gathered for Study, Comparison, or Exhibition.”
Artists and artwork include Pierre Daura, Queena Stovall, Brooke Abbot, Jean Hélion, Cy Twombly, Connie Fox, Miriam Schapiro, Howard Finster, and Mose Tolliver, as well as Zuni pottery, African masks, Australian aboriginal paintings, and much more.
For more information, email [email protected].
