Conway Named Barry Curator of Glass

NORFOLK, Va. – (May 2012) – Kelly Conway has been named as the first Carolyn and Richard Barry Curator of Glass. The endowed position is part of the success of the Chrysler Museum of Art’s capital campaign to raise $45 million. The campaign has three primary goals that include the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio, which opened in November 2011; the expansion and renovation of the Museum, which was approved and announced in March; and the strengthening of endowments to secure the financial future for the Museum.

Kelly Conway. Click image to enlarge; right-click to download 300 dpi file.

Conway was appointed curator of glass at the Chrysler Museum of Art in 2007. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in American history from DePauw University and a masters degree in the history of decorative arts from the Parsons School of Design at the Smithsonian Associates. While at the Chrysler, she has curated exhibitions such as the Art of Glass 2 and Cheers to Queen Victoria! British Glass from the Chrysler Collection, and collaborated with fellow curators on From Durer to Warhol: Our Community Collects and Women of the Chrysler: A 400-Year Celebration of the Arts. Most recently, she organized the 2012 Visiting Artist Series, a group of exhibitions and live demonstrations in the Museum’s new Glass Studio. She has served as a panelist and lectured on the history of glass for many organizations including the master’s program at the Smithsonian, the National American Glass Club, and Old Dominion University. Conway is a contributing author for ABC-CLIO’s World History Encyclopedia and serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the National American Glass Club. Her community involvement includes volunteer work for the Virginia Arts Festival, the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia, and as a member of Norfolk’s Downtown 100.

“I’m honored to be the Carolyn and Richard Barry Curator of Glass,” said Conway. “The Barrys are passionate advocates for the Chrysler’s glass collection, and the endowment comes at an exciting time for glass at the Museum. In addition to opening the new Glass Studio, we will be expanding the galleries that house our extraordinary holdings in historical and contemporary glass. The project includes a complete reinstallation of our collection, with engaging new research, new glass exhibition spaces, and beautifully lit new displays. In 2014, we will also publish a new catalogue highlighting many of the best works in our glass collection.”

“We wanted to ensure that the Chrysler Museum of Art would always have a glass curator for its world-class glass collection,” said Carolyn Barry, a member of the Museum’s Board of Trustees and a master docent. Richard Barry has previously served on the Board of Trustees, and both were on the steering committee for Art of Glass 2.

“The Museum’s Capital Campaign, which has raised $41.5 million to date, has enabled us to strengthen our long-term financial foundation by putting in place dedicated endowments to support programs and operations,” said William Hennessey, the Museum director. “An anonymous gift has fully endowed the Chrysler’s free-to-all admission policy. New endowments have also enabled us to double the size of our curatorial department. And, the salaries of three of our four curators— including the curator of glass—are now fully covered by endowments. Other endowments will support educational programs and special exhibitions.”

The Chrysler Museum of Art is one of America’s most distinguished mid-sized art museums with a world-class collection of more than 30,000 objects, including one of the great glass collections in America, and a new Glass Studio. The Museum campus is located at 245 West Olney Road in Norfolk and is open Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Thursdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sundays, noon-5 p.m. The Chrysler and the Glass Studio are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, as well as major holidays. Admission to the Museum’s collection and Glass Studio demonstrations are free. For exhibitions, programming and special events, visit chrysler.org or call 757-664-6200.

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