Driesbach appointed to Sheldon director’s post
By Melanie Mensch
Staff uniter
For Janice Driesbach, the
newly appointed director of the
Sheldon Memorial Art Museum,
her interest in artwork was
unknowingly right under her
nose.
“I studied political science in
college,” she said, “but I took so
many art history classes as elec
tives, I had enough for a major.”
Her continued interest has
earned Driesbach the director
ship at the museum, which will
begin Sept. 1.
Driesbach, who previously
served as ciirator at thd Crocker
Art Museum in Sacramento,
Calif., will replace George
Neubert, who left last summer to
become director of the San
Antonio Museum of Art in
Texas. Daniel Siedell, curator of
the Sheldon, has been serving as
the interim director since.
“Personally, Janice on paper
surfaced as a favorite of mine,”
Siedell said of Driesbach during
the interviewing process. “She
continued to distinguish herself.
She was very familiar with the
Sheldon, its collection, its mis
sion. We wanted someone com
ing in to hit the ground running,
who wouldn’t be intimidated or
surprised by administrative
tooric.
“The gallery sits on the
threshold of the 21st century. We
n^ed a director who had a vision
of leadership.”
The search committee,
chaired by Robert Duncan, con
sisted of university personnel,
regional art collectors and other
community members, and
announced their decision June
28 to Appoint Driesbach the posi
tion.
Kafen Kune, a UNL art pro
fessor and search committee
membet, said Driesbach would
be a great addition to the Lincoln
art community for many reasons.
“Janice has outstanding
scholarship, an understanding of
a museum’s needs, and a desire
to take on such a role for
Sheldon. She’s well-connected to
the art world.”
Driesbach has worked at the
Crocker Art Museum since 1985
and was responsible for its col
lections and Exhibitions of 19th
and 20th Centiiry American art.
She earned hef bachelor’s degree
in art history and political sci
ence at Allegheny (Pa.) College,
and she received both her mas
ter’s and doctorate degrees from
the University of Iowa.
She began her career as an
instructor and gallery director at
Creighton University in Omaha
from 1973 to 1975, and went on
to work at the Indiana University
Art Museum for the next three
years.
Driesbach also has worked
for the Smithsonian Institution
Traveling Exhibition Service,
the Oakland Museum in
(( I like this part of the world. 1 like
the university community. I
appreciate its size, and I have a
whole lot to learn about it."
Janice Diiesbach
director, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery
California and John F. Kennedy
University in California before
going to the Crocker. There she
twice served as interim director,
most recently from March 1998
to August 1999.
During her times as interim
director, Driesbach said, she
exercised administrative skills,
and Sheldon offered her an
opportunity at it again.
“Fm looking forward to a
new challenge,” die said. “I like
the idea of developing an institu
tion of this scale, which added to
my interest. Also, the Sheldon is
affiliated with the university. I
like being in the position to have
opportunities to teach and men
tor.”
Siedell said Driesbach had
the desire to be actively involved,
which the committee was look
ing for in a new director.
“The director is the human
symbol which represents the
gallery in public situations. They
embody its ideals,” he said. “We
needed to bring in a director that
was hands-on, not the CEO
type.”
Driesbach said she had many
Women photographers exhibit
opens at Lincoln’s Hay don Gallery
■ National invitational
exhibition will feature
Lincoln artists as well
as national photogra
phers.
ByJiUZeman
Staff writer
Starting tomorrow, visitors to
the Haydon Gallery will have the
chance to experience photogra
phy as an art form, as a national
invitational exhibition is slated
to open.
The display, entitled “By and
About Women,” features varying
styles of photography, all cap
tured by women.
read it...
dailyneb.qom
...anytime
It will showcase three
Lincoln photographers, Barbara
Hagen, Lisa Bahg Hoffman and
Shelley Fuller, as well as seven
nationally knowh artists, Mary
Ellen Mark, Flor Garduno,
Gabriela Hasbun, Brenda Quan,
Lisa Spindler, Joyce Seymore
and Beth Yamelle Edwards, said
Alyssa DeFrain, cO-curator of
the exhibition.
Bang, Hoffman knd Hagen
will be on hand to celebrate the
opening of the show kt a recep
tion held tomorrow at 7:00 p.m.
at the gallery, at 12th and R
streets, she said. ,
“Photography doesn't get too
much coverage, so we're hoping
people will come see it,” she
said.
DeFrain said she and co
curator Teliza Rodrigubz, looked
to recruit a diverse group of
artists for die show.
The exhibit will include
black-and-white, color, still-life
and digital photography,
Rodriguez said.
“When people think of pho
tography, they think or Ansel
Adams,” Rodriguez said.
“We wanted to add ahother
dimension to that.”
Rodriguez said the display
may not be what viewers Expect
to see at an art gallery.
“We wanted to bring iome
work in that would bring Ques
tions to people’s minds,” she
said.
“It will be great to hear peo
ple’s reactions and find out v^hat
they think of the content.”
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