KANSAS CITY, MO.- The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art announced Erin Dziedzic as its new Curator and Head of Adult Programs. Dziedzic (pronounced “Je-jitz”) is currently curator at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. She begins work at the Kemper Museum in late April.

With the Museum’s Board and Executive Director, Dziedzic will shape the curatorial vision of the Museum and develop the Museum’s adult educational programming as the Museum approaches its 20th anniversary in 2014. Museum Executive Director Barbara O’Brien said, “Adding the role of envisioning and creating public programs to that of Curator puts front and center the Kemper Museum goal of being an artist-centric museum. Working in dynamic conversation with living artists is an important complement to our growing permanent collection and leading edge exhibition program.”

Dziedzic organized exhibitions of contemporary art and accompanying programs at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) at SCAD Museum of Art and numerous galleries at the college’s four locations in Savannah, Atlanta, Hong Kong, and Lacoste, France. She has worked on exhibitions with dozens of contemporary artists from around the globe, including Jean-Michel Othoniel, Damián Ortega, Liza Lou, and Yeondoo Jung, among others. She is founder/editor of artcore journal (artcorejournal.net), an online contemporary art journal. She also serves as the fourth guest editor of Art Papers, May/June 2013 issue.

O’Brien added, “Erin is a tremendous talent whose work on ambitious and dynamic exhibitions and public programs during the opening of the SCAD Museum in 2011 showed creativity and an ability to envision a new relationship between exhibitions, public events and engaged museum visitors. Her curatorial record and scholarship reflect the global face of contemporary art. We welcome her energy and enthusiasm, her experience and drive.”

About her appointment, Dziedzic said, “I am thrilled to begin working in the exciting new position of Curator and Head of Adult Programs at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. There is a wealth of positive energy, experience, and visionary thinking at the Kemper, and I am delighted to join the team as the Museum moves into its 20th anniversary.” She added, “It is an exceptional opportunity to be able to work with such a prolific, accomplished, and growing collection of modern and contemporary art that is the foundation of the Museum and to develop exhibitions that speak to the mission of the Museum and engage with the Kansas City and broader surrounding communities.”

A native of Palmer, Massachusetts, Dziedzic holds a MA in art history (summa cum laude) from the Savannah College of Art and Design as well as a BA in art history (magna cum laude) from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.

This ends the national search for the Museum’s curator. O’Brien said, “I am tremendously grateful to the members of the Search Committee, whose generosity of ideas, time, and spirit made this an inclusive and meaningful process. The selection committee, led by Museum Trustee Mary Kemper Wolf, included Consuelo Cruz, marketing & community relations manager, Belger Art Center; Bill Gautreaux, member of the Museum’s Board of Directors; Russell Horton, the Museum’s chief preparator/exhibition designer; Barbara O’Brien, the Museum’s executive director; and Wolf.