Encampment native named UW Art Museum curator

Encampment native Katie Christensen is the new University of Wyoming (UW) Art Museum curator of education and statewide engagement.

Christensen received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from UW and a Master of Fine Arts from Bowling Green State University. Before coming to the UW Art Museum, she was the executive director of Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, and the arts education specialist at the Wyoming Arts Council.

“It is an honor to become part of such a great institution. I am looking forward to building upon my previous experience in education, working with artists of all backgrounds and threading together unlikely disciplines using the arts as a connecting catalyst,” Christensen says. “Our team will continue to advance statewide engagement with Wyoming’s only academic art museum, fostering new partnerships and creating dynamic programming not just in Laramie, but all around our great state.”

As the curator of education and statewide engagement, Christensen will lead the museum’s education department in the areas of preschool-16 public programs and statewide outreach. This includes implementing a diverse education program that encompasses teachers and students, docents, a visiting artist/scholar program, statewide partnerships and engagement, teaching and fostering innovative and interdisciplinary collaboration using the museum’s original material in teaching and direct study.

“We are delighted to have Katie join the UW Art Museum team,” says Susan Moldenhauer, UW Art Museum director and chief curator. “She brings great strength in education, partnership building, statewide connections and administrative skills to the important role she will have in enhancing established education programs and advancing new interdisciplinary partnerships across UW and the state.”

Through its “Museum as Classroom” approach, the UW Art Museum places art at the center of learning for all ages. Located in the Centennial Complex at 2111 Willett Drive in Laramie, the museum is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Admission is free.