Ohio Wesleyan University has appointed Erin Fletcher as director of its Richard M. Ross Art Museum and campus galleries.
Fletcher currently serves as exhibitions coordinator for the Ohio State University Libraries and Billy Ireland Cartoon Art Museum in Columbus.
At Ohio Wesleyan, Fletcher will oversee exhibits at the Ross Art Museum as well as at the university’s Gallery 2001 and Mowry Alumni Gallery. She also will coordinate lectures and other events with guest exhibitors and curators; curate the museum’s permanent collection of more than 2,500 artworks; help solicit gifts and grants to support the museum, teach courses related to her expertise (such as gallery management); and provide leadership in museum marketing and community outreach.
Susan McDonough, chair of the Ross Art Museum’s National Board of Advisors and a member of the search committee, said Fletcher has a history of collaboration and success that will serve her well in her new role.
“We’re so excited,” said McDonough, a 1974 OWU graduate. “Erin is smart, articulate and used to working in the college environment. … We were in unanimous agreement that she’d be a perfect fit to continue the Ross’s mission.”
Fletcher joined Ohio State in 2013 and previously worked as a retreat and residency coordinator for the Kentucky Foundation for Women.
She holds a master of arts degree in curatorial practice from California College of the Arts, a master of arts certificate in museum studies and education from John F. Kennedy University, and a bachelor of fine arts degree in sculpture and curatorial practice from the University of Louisville. She will join OWU on Aug. 1.
Fletcher said she is excited to continue the work begun by her predecessor, Justin Kronewetter, who is retiring after nearly 15 years as the Ross museum’s inaugural director. Kronewetter also is an OWU professor emeritus of fine arts.
The Ross museum at 60 S. Sandusky St. opened in fall 2002, following two years of renovations to the building, a former U.S. Post Office. The project received significant financial support from philanthropist Elizabeth M. Ross, who is now deceased.
The museum features 2,986 square feet of exhibition space in four galleries, as well as offices and preparatory and storage spaces. The museum’s mission is to mount exhibitions that support and enhance both the curriculum of the OWU Department of Fine Arts and the liberal arts teaching mission of the university.
