A Message from the Interim Director

It is with enormous pleasure that I have returned to the Allen as interim director, a position I’ve held on three previous occasions since 2003. I am honored to be supporting the museum once again as we undergo a leadership transition. We all owe a debt of gratitude to former director Andria Derstine, now Deputy Director and Chief Curator at the Cleveland Museum of Art. In every part of her life at Oberlin and the Allen, she made a difference, with her optimism, enthusiasm, and willingness to give every topic due consideration, transforming the complex into the manageable.

In my role as consultant to the museum, I worked with Andria throughout her 18 years here, so I can say, without reservation, that she has prepared the museum for a bright future. As I write this, a search committee, comprising Oberlin College faculty, administrative staff, and members of the Allen’s Visiting Committee is hard at work on finding her successor.

I must also note, with sadness, the passing this past October of Carl R. Gerber (OC 1958). A longtime supporter of the Allen, including 16 years as chair of our Visiting Committee, and a loyal alumnus of Oberlin, Carl was instrumental in ensuring the museum’s success through generous gifts of artworks, funds both to purchase artworks and for general needs, and the establishment of an endowed fund to support acquisitions of contemporary art in perpetuity. His advice and encouragement to members of our staff, and his outreach on behalf of the museum have significantly enhanced the Allen and the value of an Oberlin education. He will be greatly missed.

This spring we are delighted to present three concurrent exhibitions highlighting stunning works from the renowned collection of Driek (OC 1965) and Michael (OC 1964) Zirinsky. Both retired professors, the Zirinskys are based in Boise, Idaho and have spent decades forming an important collection of contemporary art. The dynamic selections shown here are all from an extraordinary gift to the Allen featuring a wide variety of more than 170 works from regional, national, and international artists expressing a range of processes and ideas that foster personal connections for visitors. For the last few years, the Zirinskys have focused on finding good homes for some of their holdings. In addition to Oberlin, works by British artists have gone to the Yale Center for British Art in Connecticut. The Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Washington, has also received works from the Zirinskys. Their incredibly generous intention to share their artworks enriches communities across the country.

In addition, the fruits of our Academic Programs department’s work can be seen in two exhibitions organized through partnerships with faculty and students taking courses in History and East Asian Studies. And, as the program calendar indicates, the activities of our Education department offer opportunities for community-wide engagement with works on view throughout the museum. This dedicated, creative team never fails to promote the experience of wonder and the power of art to transform our understanding of the world.

For many years now, the Allen’s staff, the Visiting Committee, and the leadership of Oberlin College have been considering the possibility of expanding the museum’s facility. For such an undertaking, a feasibility study is often the first major step in the early museum planning process helping to establish the conceptual parameters for design, construction, and operations. With funding generously provided by the Visiting Committee and other friends of the museum, since this past October, we have been working on such a study with Ennead Architects, a New York- based firm. Listening carefully to input from museum and college staff and stakeholders, the Ennead team has helped us define our priorities for an expansion. We look forward to receiving their report later this spring.

And finally, I couldn’t be more pleased to share with you the news that, thanks to an extraordinary gift from Ted Nowick and Robert Taylor, the Allen is celebrating the creation of a new staff position: the Nowick-Taylor Deputy Director. These enlightened donors realized that with the museum’s pending expansion and its ever-increasing role at Oberlin and in the surrounding community, this position—which will be filled by the new director—is very much needed. We are truly grateful for Ted and Robert’s unwavering support.

As always, we hope to welcome you to the museum in the coming months. Please come visit us, engage with our Oberlin-student Gallery Guides, and expand your horizons through art!

Katie Solender (OC 1977)
Interim John G. W. Cowles Director

January 23, 2025

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