Art Organizations in Houston and North Texas Announce New Hires

Recently, the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA), the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and DiverseWorks in Houston announced new hires.

Late last month, the DMA appointed Dr. Emily Friedman as the inaugural Allen and Kelli Questrom Assistant Curator of Prints and Drawings. While the position is funded by a gift from the Questroms, the museum’s works on paper department is supported through a bequest from former DMA trustee William B. Jordan and his husband, Robert Dean Brownlee. 

In a press release, Dr. Nicole R. Myers, the museum’s Chief Curatorial and Research Officer, remarked, “These exceptional donations from four stalwart supporters of the DMA come at a critical moment in the museum’s history as we plan for the future. We are thrilled to expand our curatorial team with this inaugural curatorship for prints and drawings and cannot wait to see how Emily shapes the growth, display, and scholarship of this significant collection within our global holdings.”

Prior to joining the DMA, Ms. Friedman was the Suzanne Andrée Curatorial Fellow at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the Department of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs. In that position, she collaborated on an exhibition and publication about Brand X Editions, a screen printing and publishing studio. Additionally, she worked on other exhibitions and permanent collection rotations. Ms. Friedman was the inaugural consulting curator of works on paper at the Vanderbilt University Museum of Art and has held fellowships and internships at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and the High Museum of Art. She holds a PhD in the History of Art from The Johns Hopkins University.

Earlier this month, the Modern announced new staff appointments within its Education Department. Following the retirement of Terri Thornton, Tiffany Wolf Smith was promoted to Curator of Education. Additionally, Fernando Alvarez and Sarah Theurer Hunt have been named Assistant Curators of Education for Public Programs and Docent Training, respectively, and Karla Barthelmy-Hippolyte has been appointed to the position of Auditorium Program Manager.

In a press release, Mrs. Wolf Smith noted, “The Modern’s education team is looking forward to continuing to offer a variety of our established program opportunities and is currently exploring new initiatives aimed at community engagement, forging partnerships with various organizations and institutions within the city, and instituting new bilingual programming opportunities.”

Mrs. Wolf Smith has been at the Modern for over a decade and holds an MFA from Southern Methodist University and a BFA from Texas Christian University (TCU). Mr. Alvarez joined the museum in April and holds an MFA in Studio Art from TCU and a BFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of North Texas. Ms. Theuer Hunt began her position in August and holds an MFA in Studio Art from TCU and a BFA in Studio Art from Brigham Young University. Ms. Barthelmy-Hippolyte joined the museum in July and holds an MA in Museums, Galleries, and Contemporary Culture from the University of Westminster in London and a BA in Anthropology and Museum Studies from St. John Fisher in Rochester, New York. 

Also this month, DiverseWorks appointed Jacq Garcia as its part-time Exhibitions Assistant. Mx. Garcia is a multi-disciplinary artist and curator who explores the intersections of community, fatness, food, and sexuality. They hold an MFA in Printmaking from Ohio University and a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Houston Clear Lake. In this role, Mx. Garcia will manage exhibitions, as well as assist with the planning and implementation of public programming and events related to the River on Fire exhibition and symposium.