Community Education Welcomes New Director Stefanie Darr

(Sept. 12,2011)

Stefanie Gerber Darr has joined Watkins College of Art, Design & Film as Director of Community Education, it was announced by Hilrie Brown, vice president of Institutional Advancement.

In her new position, Darr will develop and oversee the department's diverse non-credit and credit programs including the Adult Community Education, Young Artists, Pre-College and Outreach Programs, which attract approximately 1,000 children, teens and adults annually. Taught by practicing artists, these unique studio-based classes and workshops enable students of all ages to express their artistic abilities and give them the tools to pursue a life of creativity

Darr comes to Watkins from the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, where she was Educator for Public Programs, developing programs that engaged adults, families, and children with the exhibitions, inspired creativity, and increased their understanding of the visual arts and its connection to their lives. During her three-year tenure, she researched and managed scholarly and artist lectures, gallery talks, film series, hands-on workshops, artistic demonstrations, summer camps and musical and dance performances,

“Stefanie is passionate about art:  she is an artist in her own right and has taught classes and workshops in addition to directing innovative and ambitious educational programs,” said Brown. “The breadth of her experience, her expert knowledge of visual arts, and her enthusiasm for unique programming will be tremendous assets to the community education program at Watkins.”

Darr’s previous experience includes managing two fine art galleries and working in exhibition development at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis as an intern. Recipient of the Elizabeth Bishop Perkins fellowship in Museum Practice and Research from the Old York Historical Society in Maine, she holds a Masters in Museum Studies from Indiana University at Indianapolis and Bachelors of Fine Arts degrees in Painting and Photography from Herron School of Art and Design, Indiana University-Purdue University.

Darr's email is [email protected]  Sarah Shearer, assistant director of Community Education,  can be reached via [email protected].