Search committee chairs announced for UI Museum of Art director

John Culshaw

University of Iowa Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Sue Curry has named John Culshaw, university librarian, and Steve McGuire, professor and interim director of the School of Art and Art History, co-chairs of the search committee for a new director for the UI Museum of Art (UIMA). James Leach, former Iowa Congressman and visiting professor of law at the UI, has been serving as UIMA’s director on an interim basis since Jan. 1, 2017, and will continue in that role until a permanent director is hired.

Steve McGuire

“John and Steve bring outstanding, complementary expertise to this important search,” says Curry. “I am delighted they both volunteered for this role, and I am confident they will help us find the right person to lead the Museum of Art in the exciting time ahead.”

Culshaw has served as the university librarian since 2013 and is responsible for leading the UI Libraries in providing information services, collections, and spaces to the university community and beyond. In addition to his campus duties, Culshaw serves as a director-at-large on the board of the Association of College and Research Libraries and also as a member and vice chair/treasurer of the Board of Governors of the HathiTrust Digital Library. He received a BA in history from the University of Wisconsin–Parkside and holds an MS in information studies from Drexel University.

McGuire received both an MA in sculpture and a PhD in art teaching and learning from the UI and has been part of the faculty since 1988. In addition to serving as the interim director in the School of Art and Art History, McGuire is a professor of metal arts and 3-D design. He also heads the UI’s renowned Hand-Built Bicycle Program.

Interim Provost Curry will name additional members to the search committee soon.

“We look forward to broad engagement between the search committee and students, faculty, staff, and UIMA supporters to identify outstanding candidates to lead UIMA going forward,” says Culshaw. “There are fantastic opportunities ahead for the new UIMA director, from opening the new museum facility that will house the UI’s world-class collections to reinforcing the UIMA’s role as a collaborative campus partner in research, student success, and engagement.”

The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, recently approved a plan to construct a new building for UIMA, which has been displaced from its original facility since the floods of 2008. The new building, which will be located adjacent to the UI’s Main Library and next to Gibson Square Park, is expected to be completed in late 2019.