WWU welcomes Kelly Lindner as new director of the Western Gallery

Western Washington University and its College of Fine and Performing Arts have announced the appointment of Kelly Lindner as the new director of the Western Gallery.

Lindner brings more than 25 years of leadership experience as a curator, collections manager and arts advocate. She has a strong record of developing innovative exhibitions, commissioning new work, and building meaningful connections between artists, students and communities. These projects featured such prominent artists as Kim Abeles, Robert Arneson, Viola Frey, Rajkamal Kahlon, Stephen Kaltenbach, Won Ju Lim and Jacob Meders. She received support from the Terra Foundation of American Art, National Endowment for the Arts, and other leading art funders.

Most recently, Lindner served as Art Galleries and Collections Curator at California State University, Sacramento, where she directed three campus galleries and managed the university museum and public art collections. During her tenure, she curated important exhibitions, created a full roster of interdisciplinary public programs and garnered significant foundation and government grant support.

Lindner has an important track record in director roles. Prior to Sacramento, she was Director and Curator of the Jacki Headley University Art Gallery at California State University, Chico. She directed the prominent George Adams Gallery in the Chelsea district of New York City for eight years. In New York, she produced over 40 exhibitions by gallery artists. She also worked at the Robert Arneson Estate and Artists’ Legacy Foundation.

A graduate of Smith College with a master's degree in Curatorial Studies from Bard College, Lindner is committed to fostering inclusive and transformative art experiences.

“I am excited to join the faculty, students, staff, and community as director of the Western Gallery. The gallery boasts an inspiring art collection, and I am brimming with ideas to leverage the collection as a resource for the university and Bellingham and regional art community. The Western Gallery can play a significant role in broadening perspectives and giving us new ways to view the world,” said Lindner.

“Kelly Lindner is an inspiring leader and creative talent who combines deep curatorial expertise with a passion for education and community engagement,” said Christopher Bianco, dean of the WWU College of Fine and Performing Arts. “We are thrilled to welcome her to Western and to Bellingham as she leads the next chapter of the Western Gallery.”

The Western Gallery, the contemporary art museum at Western Washington University, engages its regional audience with exhibitions, public programs, gallery encounters, and more. It programs a world-class campus sculpture collection — now 44 strong and growing — with artists including Isamu Noguchi, Do Ho Suh, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Fred Wilson and Richard Serra. Twice the campus sculpture collection has been identified among the Top 10 university public art collections in the country.

With 4,500 square feet of gallery space and a staff of three, Western Gallery presents interpretive, interdisciplinary programs and acts as a center for the exchange of ideas on contemporary art. With generous state and private support, it is a catalyst for learning, embracing the campus and public communities through experiences that explore our world today.

Find out more about the Western Gallery and its collections here.