Mid-America Arts Alliance Appoints New Director for ExhibitsUSA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DECEMBER 18, 2002

Mid-America Arts Alliance Appoints New Director for ExhibitsUSA

Kansas City, MO-Following a national search, Mid-America Arts Alliance announces the appointment of Lin Nelson-Mayson as Director of ExhibitsUSA, its national museum service division. Ms. Nelson-Mayson comes to Mid-America Arts Alliance from the Minnesota Museum of American Art in St. Paul, where she has served as Curator since 1994.

Mary Kennedy McCabe, Executive Director of Mid-America Arts Alliance and former ExhibitsUSA Director stated, "The ability of ExhibitsUSA to attract a candidate of Lin's caliber is a testimony to the good work and sustained commitment of ExhibitsUSA to the field. Lin is the perfect individual to lead ExhibitsUSA as it deepens its commitment to serving the needs and tapping the potential of small museums throughout the country. Her demonstrated commitment to the museum community is only exceeded by her exceptional professional standards and her outstanding communication skills. We are delighted she has accepted the position and look forward to working with her."

"I am honored to be in the incoming director of ExhibitsUSA and glad to be a part of such a dynamic operation," says Lin Nelson-Mayson. "Through my interaction with ExhibitsUSA, from organizing a touring exhibition and hosting exhibitions at my museums to serving on the Exhibitions Advisory Panel, I have admired their commitment to address the needs of museums and galleries that host their exhibitions. I look forward to being involved with this exciting organization and its newly expanded service to museums across the country."

Lin Nelson-Mayson's relationship with ExhibitsUSA began when she worked with the organization on the exhibition, A True Likeness: The Photographs of Richard Samuel Roberts, in 1993. She also served on the ExhibitsUSA advisory panel from 1997-2000, assisting in the development of touring exhibitions for ExhibitsUSA.

Prior to her work at the Minnesota Museum of American Art, Lin Nelson-Mayson served as the Deputy Director for Curatorial Services at the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, South Carolina. Additionally, she has taught museum studies at the University of South Carolina, served as the Curator at the Art museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi, and worked in the Arts in Communities/Schools for the Nebraska Arts Council.

She received her bachelor's degree in painting from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1976, and her master's degree in fine arts in sculpture and critical writing from Ohio State University in 1981.

Her professional activities are reflective of her commitment to serving the needs of small and midsize museums, ExhibitsUSA's primary constituency. She has served as the chair of the Curator's Committee for the American Association of Museums (1992-1994), the chair of the Minnesota Association of Museums (1998-2000), and a board member for the Association of Midwest Museums (2002-2004).

Lin Nelson-Mayson succeeds Mary Kennedy McCabe as Director of ExhibitsUSA. Ms. McCabe was appointed as Executive Director of Mid-America Arts Alliance in May of this year. Edana Elder McSweeney, Assitant Director of ExhibitsUSA and Co-Director of the Hands-On Experiential Learning Project (HELP) for small and midsize museums, has served as Acting Director during the national search.

ExhibitsUSA was founded in 1988 to create access to an array of arts and humanities exhibitions, nurture the development and understanding of diverse art forms and cultures, and encourage the expanding depth and breadth of cultural life in local communities. Over the past 14 years, more than 14 million visitors in 800 communities in all 50 states and abroad have viewed an ExhibitsUSA exhibition.

Mid-America Arts Alliance, founded in 1972, is a non-profit regional arts organization based in Kansas City, Missouri. It is governed by a board of directors drawn from its partner states of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. Major support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, participant state arts agencies, and leading foundations and corporations. For further information, visit the Mid-America Arts Alliance Web site at www.maaa.org or contact Daniel Billingsley at (816) 421-1388.