Sunday, May 4, 2008

Artforum

New Director for Carnegie Mellon's Gallery; New Roving Gallery for Bahrain: MUSEUM NEWS

02.18.08

Astria Suparak, a curator known for her efforts to highlight emerging and international artists, has been named the new director of Carnegie Mellon University's Regina Gouger Miller Gallery, effective March 1. Suparak's cutting-edge exhibitions often employ a variety of media, from painting and photography to craft and electronic arts. Suparak, who succeeds interim director Petra Fallaux, comes to Carnegie Mellon from Syracuse University's Warehouse Gallery, a public, nonprofit art gallery. She has also curated exhibitions independently in Montreal and New York. "Astria Suparak will bring a great deal of energy and vision to her new position as director of the Regina Gouger Miller Gallery," said Hilary Robinson, dean of the College of Fine Arts. Suparak curated the Warehouse Gallery's show, "COME ON: Desire Under the Female Gaze," in late 2007. She described the exhibition as "unabashed explorations and unapologetic articulations of female libido" and an attempt to break down the notion of dichotomous gender.


Source:
http://artforum.com/archive/id=19510&search=%22astria%22



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BACKGROUND

Syracuse has lost one its greatest assets. Astria Suparak, Inaugural Director of The Warehouse Gallery of Syracuse University, was removed from her position as of Sept. 30th, 2007, despite widespread support from community members, students, faculty, and the international art community. This decision was made unilaterally by Jeffrey Hoone, Executive Director of the Coalition of Museum and Art Centers (CMAC).

At the time of Suparak's dismissal, Hoone also canceled her forthcoming exhibitions, including "Keep It Slick: Infiltrating Capitalism with The Yes Men," due to open in November 2007.