SFUAD Names Mary Anne Redding New Photography Department Chair
Accomplished educator, curator and writer, she is co-author of Through the Lens: Creating Santa Fe
10.31.2011
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Maria Alexandra Velez
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Santa Fe, N.M.—October 31, 2011—Mary Anne Redding, a leading photography educator, writer and curator, has been named chair of Santa Fe University of Art and Design’s Photography Department. Redding, who has taught at Arizona State University and New Mexico State University, will begin her appointment on Jan. 3, 2012.
An acclaimed curator, Redding’s recent exhibitions include Contemplative Landscape at the New Mexico History Museum (2011–2012); A Passionate Light: The Polaroids of H. Joe Waldrum at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History and the New Mexico History Museum (2011); and Through the Lens: Creating Santa Fe at the Palace of the Governors/New Mexico History Museum (2008–2009). Redding also formerly served as the curator of photography for the Palace of the Governors/New Mexico History Museum.
“Mary Anne has an outstanding record as a curator, academic and arts administrator,” said Gerry Snyder, vice president of academic affairs at Santa Fe University. “She brings a wealth of experience to our university. Her strong educational background, photography expertise and contacts with leaders at museums across the country will be tremendous assets for our university and our students.”
Redding is also an accomplished writer about photography and contemporary art. Her recent publications include Through the Lens: Creating Santa Fe, which she co-authored with Krista Elrick, and the Introduction to Light in the Desert: Photographs from the Monastery of Christ in the Desert (with photographs by Tony O’Brien and an essay by Christopher Merrill). She is currently working with photographer Michael Berman on a book about the Gila Wilderness, to be published by the Museum of New Mexico Press in the fall of 2012.
“I feel honored to take over the position of chair after David Scheinbaum’s successful tenure and extraordinary results in making this Photography Department one of the most respected in the country,” said Redding. “Santa Fe University of Art and Design offers a solid program in the arts, and its faculty members are some of the finest in the country. I am pleased to be working with them.”
Redding holds a BA in English Literature from Ohio University, an MA in Arts Administration from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, an MLS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as an advanced certificate in Museum Studies from Arizona State University’s Tempe campus.
Current Photography Chair David Scheinbaum will continue working with the university as an artist in residence, and leading the first annual Artists for Positive Social Change series for the 2011–2012 academic year which focuses on the genre of hip-hop. He also plans to launch a global curriculum for departments of photography among higher education institutions within the Laureate International Universities network (of which Santa Fe University of Art and Design is a member school).
Santa Fe University of Art and Design offers a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Photography. The Anne and John Marion Center for Photographic Arts features state-of-the-art specialized darkrooms, as well as studios for alternative processes, digital work and print preservation. Students also have access to the Beaumont and Nancy Newhall Library, a non-circulating special collections library that is one of the top informational resources in the United States on the history, aesthetics and technology of photography. The Photography and Art departments are housed in the Visual Arts Center, a series of interconnected buildings designed by award-winning architect Ricardo Legorreta.
About Santa Fe University of Art and Design
Santa Fe University of Art and Design, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, provides a unique interdisciplinary curriculum that combines practical experience with core theory to prepare graduates to become well-rounded, creative problem-solving professionals. SFUAD offers a small-size class environment led by faculty members who are practicing artists, passionate about education and committed to involving students in meaningful projects beginning in their freshman year. The curriculum is designed to inspire creativity, passion and outstanding performance in contemporary music, creative writing, performing arts, art, graphic design, moving image arts (filmmaking and video production), and photography. With its diverse international student body and opportunities to study abroad, SFUAD encourages students to develop a global perspective on the arts. The city of Santa Fe also offers an international artistic experience as one of the world’s leading centers for art and design, home to thousands of artists working in all media. The university has recently launched Artists for Positive Social Change, a yearlong series of events, curricula, lectures and performances that explore one high-profile issue or genre; during the 2011–2012 academic year the program focuses on hip hop as a major influence on today’s culture and social fabric. For more information, visit www.santafeuniversity.edu.
Santa Fe University of Art and Design (formerly the College of Santa Fe) is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.ncahlc.org.