Leslie Brothers, director of the McDonough Museum of Art, Youngstown State University’s Center for Contemporary Art, has been named director of the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University, effective June 18.
The announcement was made by Rick Muma, provost at Wichita State University.
Brothers will fill the position held by Bob Workman, who announced plans to retire in June. Workman has served as director of the Ulrich since January 2013.
“We are very fortunate to have Leslie join the Wichita State University community,” said Muma. “Her background, experience and interest align perfectly with our urban focus of providing access to educational opportunities, assisting local industry and agencies in providing solutions to their most pressing concerns, and improving the overall social wellbeing of our community. Additionally, her interest in connecting with and retaining students fits perfectly with our strategic enrollment management plans.”
Brothers has held her current position for 16 years, in addition to serving as an adjunct professor in the Department of Art, teaching courses in contemporary art, theory and in the potential for artists to affect change in society.
“I am thrilled and honored to be joining Wichita State University and the Ulrich Museum of Art,” said Brothers. “This is a very exciting time to be working in a museum within a major urban research institution committed to diversity, equity and community, accelerating the discovery, creation and transfer of new knowledge.
“I look forward to working with the accomplished staff of the museum, faculty, students, the administration, board and larger community. Together, we can deepen and strengthen the presence of the art of our time and further expand the museum’s academic role, and its local, national and international profile,” said Brothers.
Brothers received her master’s degree in art history and contemporary criticism from Virginia Commonwealth University, graduating with honors. She has a bachelor’s of arts degree from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, where she majored in art history and French. In addition, she received an honors degree in women’s studies.
Brothers is a museum professional who has worked in large municipal museums, such as the Brooklyn Museum, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Milwaukee Art Museum, as well as University Museums and Galleries.
For Brothers, collaboration is part of the creative process. Her area of expertise is contemporary art and culture, and her research is based in rethinking the University Art Museum as a research center for understanding consciousness and human experience through the arts.
During the past 30 years, she has published exhibition catalogues, articles and reviews; she has organized more than 60 exhibitions and created community-based programs that address the value of diversity, inclusion, equity and social justice, essential to maintaining relevance in the arts.
In 2014 she participated in TEDx Youngstown. Her talk can be found on YouTube, “Mattering is Key to Innovation in the University Art Museum.” In 2017, she co-authored an NEA Our Town Grant funded at $100,000 to commission five placemaking projects for the city of Youngstown.
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