Carnegie Mellon University Press Release

Astria Suparak Named New Director of Regina Gouger Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon

PITTSBURGH — 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, non-profit art gallery. She has also curated exhibits 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. "While wanting to reach out nationally and internationally, she also has a keen sense of what the role of the gallery can be here in Pittsburgh. I look forward to working with her in the years to come."

Suparak curated the Warehouse Gallery's incisive "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. Thousands of people visited this exhibition, which received international press attention.

"I look forward to leading the Miller Gallery into its next phase, as a vital component of Pittsburgh's flourishing cultural life," Suparak said. "Future programming will highlight critical and inspirational contemporary artists through provocative and illuminating exhibitions, projects, events and publications. I envision dynamic collaborations with other local, national and international organizations, bridging diverse communities across the campus, the city and the art world at large."

Suparak has curated national exhibitions, screenings and events at the Yale University School of Architecture, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, The Kitchen, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the FotoFest Biennial, Eyebeam, the Anthology Film Archives and P.S.1. She has also worked in England, Mexico, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Italy, Ireland, Belgium and France. From 1997 to 2000, she was director of the media series at Pratt Institute, and she is currently serving on the advisory panel for the Aurora Picture Show in Houston and the Public Art Commission for the city of Syracuse.

As an artist, Suparak's work has been published in the feminist journal "LTTR," the British art magazine "Black Diamond" and the book "Graffiti Women: Street Art from Five Continents." She has written for NY Arts, Heeb, The Independent Film and Video Monthly and has an essay in the forthcoming volume of "Live Cinema: A Contemporary Reader."

Suparak received a bachelor's degree in studio art and art history from Pratt Institute in 2000, and later pursued museum studies at Syracuse University.

Named for avid art collector, principal donor and Carnegie Mellon alumna Regina Gouger Miller, the Miller Gallery has sought to support the creation, growth and understanding of contemporary art since January 2000. Located in the Purnell Center for the Arts on Carnegie Mellon's campus, the three-story, 9,000 square-foot space functions not just as a showcase for art, but also for experimentation, examination, discovery and discussion. The gallery is free and open to the public. For more information visit http://millergallery.cfa.cmu.edu.