As director and chief curator of the USF Contemporary Art Museum, Sarah Higgins will
\n lead the museum\u2019s curatorial vision, steward the permanent collection and align programming
\n with the university\u2019s academic, student success and research missions. She will report
\n to Chris Garvin, dean of the College of Design, Art & Performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cSarah Higgins\u2019 work as editor of Art Papers positions her as a unique and powerful
\n voice in contemporary art, helping to shape a generation of emerging artists,\u201d Garvin
\n said. \u201cWe are thrilled to bring this visionary leader to the College of Design, Art
\n & Performance as we chart a new future for our Contemporary Art Museum, which resides
\n in the University of South Florida Arts District.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy passion for curatorial practice first arose in Florida more than 15 years ago,\u201d
\n Higgins said. \u201cIt will be a kind of homecoming, to return to the state where my commitment
\n to exhibition-making began. In this role, I\u2019ll have the opportunity to spark curiosity
\n and excitement for contemporary art in a new generation and it\u2019s an honor to be part
\n of that continuum of discovery.\u201d<\/p>\n
Higgins brings extensive experience in curatorial practice, nonprofit leadership and
\n arts administration to the position. She is an internationally-recognized arts leader
\n and nonprofit executive with more than two decades of professional experience across
\n publications, universities and nonprofit institutions. Her practice focuses on connecting
\n visual art ecosystems in the southeastern United States to those around the world
\n \u2014 championing artists, writers and grassroots organizations through mentorship, community-building
\n and collaboration \u2014 all supported by successful fundraising. She holds a master of
\n arts in curatorial studies from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College
\n and a bachelor of fine arts in printmaking from the Atlanta College of Art.<\/p>\n
Throughout her career, programs she designed have received major grants from the Mellon
\n Foundation, Terra Foundation, Wagner Foundation, Georgia Council for the Arts, National
\n Endowment for the Arts, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and Teiger Foundation.
\n Most recently, she served as executive and artistic director (2024\u20132026) and editor
\n (2018\u20132026) of Art Papers, the longest-running nonprofit art journal in the United
\n States. As executive director, Higgins conceived and led the Fire Ecology Project,
\n a three-year strategic plan that guided the organization toward its 50th anniversary.<\/p>\n
As a curator, she has mounted more than 45 exhibitions for institutions and art fairs,
\n including the Hessel Museum of Art at Bard College, the Museum of Contemporary Art
\n of Georgia and the Atlantic Center for the Arts. Previous roles include curator at
\n the Zuckerman Museum of Art at Kennesaw State University (2015-2019), graduate program
\n coordinator for the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College (2013\u20132015) and
\n community arts director at Atlantic Center for the Arts (2007\u20132011).<\/p>\n
She serves on the advisory board of Atlanta Art Fair and was a member of the 2023\u20132024
\n steering committee for SECAC (Southeastern Contemporary Art Conference). She has served
\n as a juror and selection committee member for Artadia, South Arts Foundation\u2019s Southern
\n Prize and ARTFIELDS, among others.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow exciting to join the dedicated team of such an esteemed academic museum. I look
\n forward to building upon the museum\u2019s already strong foundation. I envision a future
\n for the museum in which its exhibitions and programs reflect the dynamism of the USF
\n community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Building on this vision, Higgins will advance the museum as a focal point of the college
\n and university by working toward shared goals, increasing visibility and accessibility
\n and promoting interdisciplinary work among students, faculty and the Tampa Bay community.
\n Her experience includes connecting curriculum with students, mentoring and a commitment
\n to student internships and assistantships. She envisions the museum as a welcoming
\n space for students to gather outside their residence halls or classrooms, known as
\n a \u201cthird space.\u201d<\/p>\n
Higgins will begin her role at USF on October 12.<\/p>\n
About the College of Design, Art & Performance<\/a>
As the creative center of the University of South Florida, the College of Design,
\n Art & Performance provides an enriched, creative, and professional environment for
\n tomorrow\u2019s leaders in architecture, design, art, art history, dance, music, and theatre.
\n The college embraces opportunities to embed new and existing arts programming in the
\n rapidly growing regional communities, serving as an integral engine for socioeconomic
\n progress through its research, advocacy, and engagement.<\/p>\n