Photo by Tanya Rosen Jones

A Message from the Director

The autumn is always a time of transition, and this one seems even more so. I write this having accepted an offer from the Cleveland Museum of Art to serve as its next deputy director and chief curator, and I will leave the Allen—a place that will forever be dear to me—at the end of November. These past 18 ½ years, since I first took up a role here as curator and then, since mid-2012, as director, have been a marvelous time of growth, personally and professionally.

Among the many wonderful aspects of my new position is that I will not be going far from this superb institution, with its irreplaceable collection, dedicated staff, historic facilities, and engaging programs. You, the museum’s members and friends, have helped to enable this very special place that is the Allen to achieve so much for our community. I hope to remain in good touch with you in my new role—and I expect to continue to see you often here, when, like you, I’ll be a supportive visitor!

A positive aspect of this moment of change is that experienced museum professional Katherine Solender (OC 1977), who has served thrice as interim or acting director, will again take on the interim role during the search for a new director. Katie knows the Allen intimately from her role on the museum’s Visiting Committee and her prior work here; she was of tremendous help to me in the efforts that led to the Allen’s strategic plan (on the execution of which we, as a staff, are making terrific progress). I know that the museum will continue to flourish with her expert leadership.

The Visiting Committee—a group that provides advice to the Allen’s director as well as to the College administration—is also undergoing a change in leadership; we thank Carl Gerber (OC 1958, about whom you can read more on page 16) for his more than 16 years of service chairing the Committee even as we welcome to that role Oberlin resident Robert Taylor, who has long been a friendly face on the museum’s Volunteer Guild and has served on the Committee since 2010.

I regret that there have recently been some transitions affecting those close to the museum that have not been positive: we have lost three dedicated donors and volunteers in George Haley (OC 1948), Bob Kasayka, and Jim Sunshine (OC 1946/graduated 1949). George, who grew up nearby in Lorain, was a professor of Spanish literature at the University of Chicago. He loved and collected European artworks, many of which he bequeathed to the Allen following his death in June, after generously making several earlier donations. Bob, a South Amherst resident, was a longstanding member of the Volunteer Guild, serving faithfully on weekends at the welcome desk with his wife Marilyn until his death in August. A kind and stalwart supporter, he attended Tuesday Teas and many other events following his career as an accountant and CFO. Jim, too, was a Volunteer Guild member; an Oberlin resident and former newspaper writer and editor who died last December, he donated funds to the museum for American art purchases and enjoyed welcoming museum guests. All of them will be greatly missed.

On a happier note, I’m delighted that the museum—following a summer closure—reopened on September 6. The staff spent the intervening months profitably in reinstalling the galleries: Marlise Brown by rethinking the presentation of older European works to include more objects along with paintings; Sam Adams by creating a space for video projection, with student assistant Dlisah Lapidus (OC 2026); and Kevin Greenwood by showcasing the Coiling Dragon after its successful grant-funded conservation, for which we are very grateful to the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation. The presentation of ancient works in the ambulatory, too, has been marvelously refreshed by Marlise Brown and Emily French, with a thematic focus. All the installation work was expertly achieved by preparators Andre Sepetavec and Michael Reynolds, aided by the efforts of registrars Lucille Stiger and Selina Bartlett—and as always, supported by Administrative Assistant Jessica Lear and Communications Manager Stacie Ross.

Moreover, you’ll notice other terrific changes, including refinished floors in the Nord and Willard-Newell galleries, beautiful new carpet on the second floor, and new lighting in East Gallery. Importantly, the museum’s heating and cooling system—already geothermal and meeting the LEED Gold standard since 2011—is now connected to the College’s new system through the major work of Oberlin College’s Sustainable Infrastructure Program, work in which the Allen’s security staff, led by Leondist DuVall, played a major role.

While we missed having you in the museum, staff were able to continue community connections through a wealth of programs, including for new College faculty and students and at the Frank Lloyd Wright house, overseen by Jill Greenwood, Alyssa Traster, Ellis Lane, and Emily French. And naturally planning continued apace for future projects: looking ahead, the Allen has co-organized exciting exhibitions featuring the work of Claude Monet and June Leaf, which will come here in 2025 and 2026.

It’s bittersweet to leave the Allen, an institution that has given more to me than I could have ever hoped or expected so many years ago when I first walked through its doors. I will miss it—and you—more than I can say. But I know that the museum is strong, and getting stronger. Together, we’ve raised funds to endow curatorships, as well as monies for programs, publications, and acquisitions that have broadly diversified the museum’s collection to include more works by women artists and artists from many cultures and backgrounds. Other good developments regarding increased staffing and expanded facilities are in the works, and the museum’s connection with the broader community is more robust than ever. For all of this, I thank you. And I will look forward, very much, to staying in touch, as we jointly continue to care for this exceptional museum.

Andria Derstine
John G. W. Cowles Director

October 1, 2024

View Previous Director's Letters

Statement on Violence and Discrimination targeting Asian-Americans, Asians, and Pacific Islanders

The visual arts community at Oberlin College (Art History, Studio Art, the Allen Memorial Art Museum and the Clarence Ward Art Library) recognize and condemn the racial violence in Atlanta, which is a culmination of ongoing harassment and discrimination targeting the Asian-American, Asian and Pacific Islander communities. A persistent blight on American history, this discrimination has intensified in the last year, amplified by politically motivated racist and xenophobic associations between these communities and Covid-19. These hateful actions and words, and the underlying racial stereotypes that support them, hurt the Oberlin College community, including our students and colleagues; they are antithetical to what we stand for professionally and personally. We commit ourselves to the action of building an Oberlin community that is free of discrimination and harassment, and equitably supportive of all its members. This work builds on the necessary anti-racist work we have begun in the Oberlin visual arts community and are committed to continuing.

With this statement, we echo and affirm an earlier statement by the Comparative American Studies Department, East Asian Studies Department, International Student Resource Center, and Multicultural Resource Center, and another statement by the Presidential Initiative on Racial Equity and Diversity Commission.

We encourage Oberlin students and others to use the resources available in these earlier statements for both education and action, and to reach out to us for support.

March 29, 2021

Message on Racial Justice

The Allen Memorial Art Museum stands in solidarity with communities of color in affirming a belief in justice and equality for all, and in condemning racial injustice. Oberlin College President Ambar has recently announced an initiative to address these issues, and the museum staff look forward to partnering in this with her, with our colleagues, and with our broader community.

I had the honor of spending time with Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation, and Lonnie Bunch, then the director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture and now secretary of the Smithsonian, during Oberlin College’s 2017 commencement. At that time, each received honorary degrees, and Walker delivered the address, marking the AMAM’s centennial. Their powerful public statements in recent days on the killing of George Floyd, and of many others, are uplifting calls to action, and for change.

In the museum world, our work is accomplished with and through art. Art has the power to demonstrate, to communicate, to educate, to help, and to heal in difficult and painful situations. The staff and I look forward to welcoming you back to the museum, a site where we can collectively reflect upon and engage in conversations about societal challenges, including racial injustice and inequality, and together work to effect that needed change.

June 4, 2020