Press Release

For Immediate Release
February 8, 2012

Contact: Erika Guess
Public Relations Associate
757.425.0000 x.21
Erika@VirginiaMOCA.org

 
MOCA NAMES NEW DIRECTOR OF EXHIBITIONS & EDUCATION

Virginia Beach, VA—The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) is pleased to announce that Alison Byrne is the new director of exhibitions and education. Byrne, previously the curator of education at MOCA, has been with the museum since 2002.

“We were seeking a candidate who could actively engage the community and take MOCA to the next level,” said executive director Debi Gray. “The Board of Trustees and I agree that Alison’s background in art history and studio art, and her experience at MOCA, make her the perfect choice for the job. We expect her and her staff to raise the bar for MOCA’s exhibitions, art education programs and Studio School.”

Byrne will be responsible for exhibition design and execution, educational program curricula and creation of successful relationships both within the local community and the national museum community. She will oversee the associate curator, the registrar/preparator, associate curator of education, and gallery and youth program manager.

“A primary goal of mine is to ensure that the museum strives to be a vibrant, relevant and essential community resource, as well as a prominent institution in the national museum community,” said Byrne. “I intend to focus on providing visitor experiences that are memorable and accessible and address different styles of viewing and learning through a range of unique and exciting exhibitions and education programming.”

MOCA recently began to re-examine the visitor experience. ARTlab, which unveiled in January 2012 and was co-curated by Byrne, is a new interactive space for visitors of all ages to gain an understanding of contemporary art. Added Byrne, “I want visitors and community members to connect, participate and engage with art at MOCA, as well as through more extensive Outreach programming throughout the community.”

Byrne received a Master of Arts degree with a focus on Art History, specifically Modern and Contemporary Art, from Old Dominion University. A native of Ireland, she received a Bachelor of Design in Craft Design and Art History from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland.

“As a staff member of almost 10 years I am passionate about MOCA and everything we do here,” she said. “I was ready for the next step in my career and am delighted to be able to take on that challenge at MOCA.”

Byrne’s current projects include "Fifteen Square Inches of Fame,” an open exhibition to Hampton Roads artists to celebrate MOCA’s “Andy Warhol: Portraits” exhibition and the design and implementation of audio tours for teens created with MOCA’s Teen Apprenticeship Program, as well as more extensive adult programming offerings at the museum.

MOCA is located at 2200 Parks Avenue at the entrance to Interstate-264 in Virginia Beach. The museum  is open Tuesday through Friday 10am to 5pm.; Saturday, 10am to 4pm. and Sunday, noon to 4 pm. Admission is $7 for adults; $5 for seniors, students and active military; $3 for children ages 3-14. MOCA members and children under the age of 4 are admitted free of charge. For information call 425-0000 or visit MOCA’s Web site at www.VirginiaMOCA.org.   

Photo Courtesy of Glen McClure.
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