USU's Nora Eccles Harrison Museum Appoints Curator Collections, Exhibitions

Rebecca A. Dunham has been appointed as curator of collections and exhibitions at the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art (NEHMA) at Utah State University. Dunham was selected following a national search.

In her position at NEHMA, Dunham will organize exhibitions, oversee collection research and stewardship, develop publications, assist with academic programming and assess potential acquisitions for the museum’s collection. She will also serve as a liaison with artists, scholars and other museum professionals.

Dunham relocated to Logan from Fargo, N.D., where she served as curator of the Plains Art Museum. There, she curated the exhibitions “Bakken Boom! Artists Respond to the North Dakota Oil Rush” (Jan. 30-Aug. 16, 2015) and “Red River Reciprocity: Contemporary Ceramics in Minnesota and North Dakota” (Feb. 8-May 11, 2014), the latter was the largest survey of contemporary ceramics in the upper Midwest. She also mounted the acclaimed internationally traveling exhibition “Living as Form (The Nomadic Version)” (June 12-Sept. 14, 2014). Previously, Dunham worked in the curatorial departments of Modern and Contemporary Art and Prints and Drawings at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. She also held positions at the University of Missouri’s Museum of Art and Archaeology in Columbia and the University of Florida’s Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art in Gainesville.

“Rebecca is the perfect choice to join our staff during this important period of growth for the museum,” said NEHMA Executive Director and Chief Curator Katie Lee Koven. “Working at both regional and larger national institutions has given her the experience necessary to support NEHMA’s ambitious plans to expand its exhibition program and bring national attention to its important collection of modern and contemporary art. Additionally, her curatorial practice demonstrates her ability to perform rigorous research and develop creative concepts that are exciting, academically rich and accessible for various levels of engagement.”

Established in 1982, NEHMA is an accredited academic art museum focused on modern and contemporary art at USU. The museum’s collection includes more than 5,500 objects focusing on modernist and contemporary works created in the western region of the country. The core of the collection explores certain key movements, including Beat, Los Angeles Post-Surrealism, Santa Fe Transcendentalism and Bay Area Abstract Expressionism. The museum also collects and exhibits contemporary works that are representative of the thriving art scenes found in many cities in the Western United States.

“NEHMA has a top-notch collection, and I look forward to shining a light on this incredible resource as the museum embarks on a series of projects, including a new website to increase access to its collection and expanded facilities for the display of artworks,” Dunham said. “I also believe my passion for academic museums will prove invaluable to supporting NEHMA’s mission as an educational resource for the university community, Cache Valley and beyond.”

Dunham received a doctorate in art history and classical archaeology from the University of Missouri, at Columbia; a master’s in art history from the University of Florida, at Gainesville; and a bachelor’s in art history from the University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill. She specializes in modern and contemporary art, particularly ceramics and works on paper, including prints, drawings and paintings.

NEHMA is dedicated to collecting and exhibiting modern and contemporary visual art to promote dialogue about ideas fundamental to contemporary society by providing meaningful engagement with art from the 20th and 21st centuries to support the educational mission of USU. NEHMA offers complementary public programs such as lectures, panels, tours, concerts and symposia to serve the university and regional community. The museum is open to the public and admission is free. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment.

Contact: Katie Lee Koven, NEHMA executive director and chief curator, 435-797-0164, katie.lee.Koven@usu.edu