Accomplished curator, academician and author heads UD museums

5 p.m., Nov. 12, 2003--As a museum professional who has faculty experience, Janis Tomlinson, the new director of University of Delaware Museums, has a two-tier perspective.

Tomlinson, who earned a doctoral degree in art history from the University of Pennsylvania, was an associate professor of art and archeology at Columbia University before she became director of exhibitions and cultural programs at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. She took over her newly created post at UD on Sept. 15.

After two months on the job, Tomlinson said she found the University’s art collection is well-used by many departments, especially by the museum studies programs and the art, art history and anthropology faculty.

“This collection is an extremely important resource. I just think there’s really great potential,’’ Tomlinson said. “Everyone I’ve spoken to is very enthusiastic about the future of visual arts here.’’

Mark W. Huddleston, dean of the College of Arts and Science, said Tomlinson would facilitate the use of the University’s museum collections in educational programming for undergraduate and graduate students, in faculty research and in community outreach.

Ann L. Ardis, associate dean for arts and science, said Tomlinson has the professional background needed to create a University-level structure that will take best advantage of such assets as the Paul R. Jones Collection in African-American Art, the University Gallery holdings, and the Irénée du Pont Collection of minerals and geologic objects.

“In this kind of an institution, where we have really extensive faculty strength in the arts, it’s important for the person directing the art collections to have faculty experience of her own,’’’ Ardis said.

Tomlinson also will work closely with the faculty and staff in the University’s museum training and conservation programs, such as the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture, the Hagley Program in Industrial History, and the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation.

Besides faculty experience, Tomlinson has authored several books on Spanish painting, and was a guest curator of the exhibition, “Goya Images of Women’’ at the National Gallery of Art last year.

In addition, Tomlinson also has been a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow, and the Clark Professor of Art History at Williams College. She also has earned a certificate of business administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a certificate in nonprofit management from George Mason University.

Tomlinson said her first priority in her new post will be moving the Paul R. Jones Collection into its new home after this year’s $4.6 million renovation of Mechanical Hall is complete. She said she expects the University to become a major center for the study of African-American art with the Jones collection in place and that she hopes to expand the academic uses of all the University collections.

“I hope people on campus come to me with ideas about ways to use the collections,’’ Tomlinson said. “I would like to increase the involvement of all areas of the University with the University Gallery and with the gallery we’ll be opening in Mechanical Hall next fall.’’

Photo by Kathy Atkinson

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