COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 17, 2021) — The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College (FAC) is proud to announce that Michael Christiano will be the next director of visual arts and museum effective Sept. 27, 2021.
Christiano will be responsible for leading strategic direction of the FAC Museum, overseeing exhibitions as well as community and campus projects. His appointment follows a national search with review and recommendation by search committee, staff and community. An accomplished arts leader and educator, Christiano brings a wealth of experience building enduring community relationships and public programs.
“Michael Christiano is a dynamic, well-rounded leader whose professional goals align with our core values. Across a range of collecting and contemporary art museums affiliated with academic institutions, Michael has worn multiple hats and contributed to meaningful impact and positive growth. In his new role here, Michael will work in collaboration, inside and outside the museum, to balance our commitment to both preservation and innovation. We’re excited to bring him to the team.” said FAC Executive Director Idris Goodwin.
Christiano most recently served as deputy director and curator of public practice at the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, where he oversaw public programs, museum education and interpretation, and communications. He was responsible for shaping the museum’s relationship with the community while building institutional practices and programs to address cultural, social, and political topics. Recent projects included developing public programming and supporting artist commissions for a city-wide exhibition of work by MacArthur Fellows, the creation of a residency program designed for Chicago-based artists and educators to create participatory art experiences, coordination of a collaborative exhibition of Cuban and Latinx artists with the National Museum of Mexican Art, and coordination of an exhibition and accompanying publication that examined the work of the Black Arts Movement on the South Side of Chicago during the 1960s and 70s.
Christiano received his master’s degree in museum education from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, before going on to work at the Frist Art Museum education team, creating an education department at the Photographic Resource Center at Boston University and working as curator of education at Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA).
“I’m thrilled to join the Fine Arts Center at this transformational moment and humbled to work alongside such a creative and inspiring team. I look forward to building on the museum’s dynamic programmatic vision, drawing on the deep intellectual and cultural landscape at the college and its surrounding communities to engage with the pressing questions and issues of our time,” said Michael Christiano.
The Fine Arts Center is a multi-disciplinary arts organization featuring an accredited museum, an award-winning performing arts program, and a community art school. As director of visual arts and museum, Christiano will serve as a member of the FAC’s leadership team in strategic plan implementation and cross-disciplinary collaborations with performing arts and the art school to create meaningful and sustained connections with the community. This is one of two key leadership positions being filled in 2021 to implement the aspirational strategic plan established through the alliance with Colorado College.
Christiano will begin transitioning to join the Fine Arts Center in August in advance of his official start date Sept. 27.
ABOUT THE FAC
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College
The story of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College (FAC) began with the founding of the Broadmoor Art Academy 1919. A museum, performing arts theatre, and community art school, the FAC is a pillar in the cultural community of the Rocky Mountain West providing innovative, educational, and multi-disciplinary arts experiences designed to elevate the individual spirit and inspire community vitality. The FAC and Colorado College recognize and honor the original inhabitants of the land on which it resides. For more information about the FAC, visit fac.coloradocollege.edu or follow on Facebook @CSFineArtsCenter.
Fine Arts Center Museum
The FAC Museum’s permanent collection of over 15,000 objects showcases the rich history and vibrant contemporary cultures of the Southwest and the Americas, containing works of art from Native America, Hispanic and Spanish Colonial New Mexico, and 20th-century America.