Muzeo Museum & Cultural Center’s Board President, Elisa Stipkovich is pleased to announce Kelly Chidester has accepted the position of Executive Director of the Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center. Over the past 10 months, Kelly has served as the organization’s Interim Executive Director and has guided Muzeo’s operations through the pandemic. Kelly has over 16 years of extensive experience in public and non-profit cultural art agency direction. “As a skilled fundraiser and collaborator for partnerships and private and corporate giving, selecting Kelly to lead Muzeo through this time of transition has been a great choice,” says Stipkovich.
Specializing in developing museum and program standards, Chidester has produced elaborate and thematic exhibitions, both small and large scale, on topics of art, science, history and humanities. Her experience with various well-known artists and collectors of art have been shown at The Fullerton Museum Center, CSUF’s Begovich Gallery, The Muckenthaler Cultural Center and The Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago with well-known artists such as Mercedes Dorame, Chang-Jin Lee, and Henry Diltz.
Graduating with a Master’s Degree in Arts Exhibition Design from California State University, Fullerton, Kelly Chidester has also earned esteemed certificates from Claremont Graduate University’s Getty Leadership Institute and Leadership Development for Public Agencies. Her breadth of experience in arts management, gallery curation, and event management make her an outstanding fit for Muzeo’s future organizational goals and objectives.
Since being at Muzeo, Kelly has spearheaded several important programs and exhibits including the new MAKERS@MUZEO artist in residence program, “AHORA,” an exhibit produced in partnership with LA’s Tla Loc Studios and Thinkspace Projects, and “Patterned Perspectives: Contemporary Nigerian Art from the Ezenma Collection,” currently on display in the Main Gallery.
“I am eager and honored to step into this role,” Kelly says. “Together, with the talented staff and support from the board, we’ll be making big changes that have real impact on how we serve our community.”
The Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center engages the community in exploring and celebrating our diverse heritage, culture and arts through creative programming.
Located in the heart of Downtown Anaheim, Muzeo is open Wednesday through Sunday from11am to 5:00 p.m. To learn more, visit www.muzeo.org.