Fort Worth and Houston-Area Organizations Announce New Hires

by Jessica Fuentes February 22, 2023

The Kimbell Art Museum and the William Campbell Gallery in Fort Worth and Art League Houston have announced new hires.

A polaroid photograph of Zhaira Costiniano.

Zhaira Costiniano. Photo: Lukas Costiniano

Last month, Art League Houston (ALH) appointed Zhaira Costiniano as its new Exhibitions and Curatorial Projects Manager. Ms. Costiniano is a Filipino-American arts administrator and curator whose work focuses on accessibility and diversity in the arts, public art as a form of placemaking, and the intersections of gender, race, and queer theory in contemporary art. Ms. Costiniano studied art history at the University of North Texas.

Most recently, Ms. Costiniano held the position of Creative Project Manager and Gallery Director at ArtWorks in Cincinnati. Prior to that, she worked with a variety of organizations in North Texas, including the Dallas Museum of Art, Ro2 Art, and the Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallas. Notably, during her time at UNT, Ms. Constiniano founded ARThaus, a grassroots gallery aimed at building community for Denton artists.

In a press release announcing the appointment, ALH Executive Director Jennie Ash stated, “…We are very excited to welcome Zhaira to the organization. I’m confident her passion for community engagement, paired with her talent and experience as a collaborative curator, and arts administrator, will ensure success in our strategic direction to present innovative and ambitious exhibitions and public art projects that support bold new ideas and spur public discourse around important subjects.”

Ms. Constiniano remarked, “I am honored and humbled to be joining ALH’s dynamic team and look forward to building off the organizations’ commitment to inclusivity, creativity, and service. ALH has cultivated a space where artists and community come first, and it’s a dream canvas for any curator to work with.”

Ms. Constiniano began her role at ALH on February 6, 2023. She replaces Jimmy Castillo, who joined the organization in 2021 as the Director of Exhibitions & Curatorial Projects.

A photograph of Anne Kelly Lewis in a gallery with large abstract paintings behind her.

Anne Kelly Lewis. Photo: Luther Smith.

Last week, William Campbell Gallery announced Anne Kelly Lewis as its new director. Mrs. Lewis holds a BA in Arts Management from the College of Charleston, South Carolina. She previously served as Gallery and Auction Director at David Dike Fine Art in Dallas for over a decade, and has had her own appraisal practice since 2012.

In a press release Misty Locke, Partner at William Campbell Gallery, said, “Anne brings a breath of fresh air and expertise that is undeniable. Her passion and knowledge are unparalleled, and we are confident Anne will continue to propel the gallery forward. She’s already inventing new ways to celebrate art and cultivate opportunities for our artists and collectors while honoring the values and ambition Bill and Pam Campbell created when they founded this gallery.”

Mrs. Lewis stated, “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to connect to the art community here, across the state, and beyond. William Campbell Gallery is immensely respected, and I am honored to lead it into its next chapter.”

A headshot of Shan Kuang standing inside the Kimbell Art Museum.

Shan Kuang. Photo: Robert LaPrelle, courtesy of the Kimbell Art Museum.

Also last week, the Kimbell Art Museum announced the hiring of Shan Kuang as Conservator of Paintings. Ms. Kuang holds a BS in Chemistry from Yale University and completed her graduate training in conservation of easel paintings at the University of Cambridge’s Hamilton Kerr Institute. She then held a post-graduate internship at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Since that time, she worked for over six years at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, where she held multiple positions, most recently Associate Conservator and Research Scholar. In that role, she conserved Old Master paintings from the Samuel H. Kress Collection.

In a press release, Eric M. Lee, director of the Kimbell, stated, “We’re thrilled to welcome Shan Kuang to the Kimbell. She takes a place in the long lineage of outstanding conservators who have worked in one of the first purpose-built museum conservation studios in the U.S. We look forward to the remarkable projects Shan will take on at the museum and her future scholarly contributions to the field of conservation.”

Though the Kimbell’s conservation team is mainly focused on caring for the museum’s permanent collection, historically individuals in the role have also served as a resource for North Texas museums as well as museums and private collections across the country. 

Ms. Kuang remarked, “I look forward to working in a collaborative environment, for which the Kimbell is notable. It is a privilege to continue working on paintings of great quality, an opportunity afforded by the Kimbell’s incredible permanent collection and special exhibitions.”

Ms. Kuang joins Peter Van de Moortel, who was appointed as the Kimbell’s Chief Curator in 2021.

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