University of Iowa News Release

July 16, 2010

Photo: For a high resolution image of O’Harrow, click on the image below.

UI Museum of Art director candidate O’Harrow to speak at forum July 20

Sean O’Harrow, Ph.D., executive director of the Figge Art Museum, will visit campus Tuesday and Wednesday, July 20-21, as a finalist for the position of University of Iowa Museum of Art director.

During a public forum at 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 20, in Room W151 of the Pappajohn Business Building, O’Harrow will speak on “Issues for Leading University Art Museums in the 21st Century.”

O’Harrow earned his doctorate in history of art from the University of Cambridge in 1997 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (cum laude) from Harvard University in 1990.

A native of Hawaii, O'Harrow has been executive director of the Figge since 2007. Prior to arriving in Iowa, he was an Official Fellow of St. Catharine's College in the University of Cambridge and before that spent several years as a senior executive in the investment banking sector in London, helping to oversee finance, sales, marketing, public relations, human resources, legal affairs, fundraising and technology.

O’Harrow is the second candidate for this position to visit campus. Kent Lydecker, Ph.D., former Frederick P. and Sandra P. Rose Associate Director for Education at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, visited campus June 28-30.

Dean David C. Johnsen of the College of Dentistry is chairing the search, and Interim Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel Carroll Reasoner is vice chair.

The UIMA director oversees the management and care of collections and the curatorial, pedagogical and administrative activities of the UIMA. The director will play a leading role in planning and fundraising for a new museum building. The position reports to the provost.

More information about the search and the candidates is available at http://provost.uiowa.edu/search/uima/.

STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa News Services, 300 Plaza Centre One, Suite 371, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-2500