The Gibbes Museum of Art announces new hires

The Gibbes Museum of Art is proud to announce several new hires and promotions made over the past year. Please see below for the new additions to the team bringing years of expertise and creativity to the Gibbes.

Chloe Hogan, Museum Engagement Specialist & Office Assistant

Chloe Hogan is a young arts professional who is passionate about art, arts advocacy and art history. As an artist herself, Hogan brings creativity to every project, including a Gibbes YouTube series called “Make Like an Artist,” which she writes, directs and edits herself, teaching her viewers how to take creative inspiration from the museum’s collection. Hogan graduated from College of Charleston in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in studio art and has since completed a residency program at the New York Academy of Art. Hogan’s prior experience includes working as a studio assistant, as well as an internship at the Halsey Institute, where she spent a year learning about installation, arts education and working in a museum.

Hogan’s role at the Gibbes is a hands-on one. Working at the Visitor Services desk, she is responsible for communicating with visitors about exhibitions and museum happenings. Hogan assists with the Visiting Artist Program and the Museum Store, as well as membership renewals and outreach.

Chase Quinn, Curator of Education and Programs

Chase Quinn joined the Gibbes Museum of Art in June 2019. In July 2020, Quinn was named Curator of Education and Programs, a role for which his near decade-long experience as an award-winning art and culture writer, editor, public relations consultant and nonprofit program coordinator helped prepare him. Quinn has extensive experience using the arts to develop creative and compelling content and programs. Before relocating to Charleston, Chase lived in New York City and worked as Culture and Programs Associate at The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), designing and overseeing events and programs that used instruments of art and culture to educate, activate and enroll new audiences into CCR’s 50-year human rights legacy. His writing portfolio includes contributions to top literary and culture publications including Bon Appetit, Vanity Fair, HUFFPOST, Artforum, The Guardian and Guernica.

In his role with the Gibbes, Quinn focuses on conceptualizing, managing, implementing and curating thoughtful interdisciplinary programs that draw on the museum’s permanent collection and visiting exhibitions, and engage the wider community. In the past year Quinn introduced a new film series to the Gibbes, titled, “Gibbes Film in Focus”, a virtual photography lecture survey and virtual town hall series that invites participants to engage with local artists and storytellers in a community dialogue. Quinn is passionate about partnership building, storytelling and collaboration.

Becca Hiester, Director of Education and Programs

Becca Hiester is a Charleston native and has worked with the Gibbes since December 2014, starting as a Curatorial Assistant. Prior, she volunteered with the Curatorial and Education departments for five years, falling in love with the permanent collection and the Gibbes’ mission of sharing the power of art within her home community. In the summer of 2020, Hiester became the Director of Education and Programs at the Gibbes. Hiester holds a master’s degree in art history from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Wake Forest University. Leading up to her tenure with the Gibbes, Hiester volunteered, interned and worked with museums up and down the east coast including the Charleston Museum, The North Carolina Museum of History and the Smith College Museum of Art.

In her role with the Gibbes, Hiester manages and oversees the Education and Programs Department, including programs for families, K-12 audiences and adults. In her first year as a museum director, Hiester initiated a series of virtual professional development sessions on arts integration topics for educators, coordinated the design and fabrication of four community kits to distribute to students who were unable to visit the museum due to the pandemic and worked with sub-committees to overhaul the docent manual and training approach for volunteers. Hiester is also passionate about developing and strengthening community partnerships, including those with the Charleston County Public Library, community schools and other local education organizations.

Greyson Smith, Accounting Manager

Greyson Smith is an accountant with 5+ years of experience working in arts administration. Smith formerly served as a business manager at the University of South Carolina’s School of Visual Art and Design, as well as an accountant at the South Carolina Arts Commission. Smith graduated from Winthrop University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration/accounting and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in studio art. Smith is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. When not in the office, Smith is also a practicing artist and has exhibited throughout the Southeastern U.S. at venues such as Goodall Gallery at Columbia College, City Gallery at Waterfront Park and Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art. Smith is a mixed-media artist and an avid gardener.

Smith’s role at the Gibbes will be to assist in managing all aspects of the finance/accounting functions under direction of the CFO to include payroll, accounts payable/receivable, grant payments, reconciling accounts, general ledger management, budgeting and audit components.

Lydia Brown, Museum Engagement & Store Coordinator

Lydia Brown is a College of Charleston alumna of the Liberal Arts Dance program. Brown has worked for local theaters and companies such as The Queen Street Playhouse: Footlight Players, Musical Theater Center, Holy City Salsa Dance Studio and Dance Matters Charleston. Brown’s experience in dance has taught her to remain dedicated and passionate in everything she does as a performer and as a creative individual.

Brown concentrates her energy at The Gibbes Museum of Art on maintaining a welcoming atmosphere in the Museum Store and for all museum guests and patrons. Brown supports the museum through inventory management, local artisan outreach, merchandising, museum store product layout and day-to-day store operation and visitor engagement.

Deborah Nobles-McDaniel, Collections Manager/Registrar

Deborah Nobles-McDaniel is a graduate of Morgan State University with graduate coursework in Museum Studies. Additionally, she received training in the Management of Museum Collections from the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies. Being a member of the Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists (ARCS) has played a huge role in her professional development. In 2017, Nobles-McDaniel retired from the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture where she served as Collections Manager/Registrar; Deborah also previously worked for the James E. Lewis Museum in a similar capacity. She is a longstanding member of the Joshua Johnson Council of the Baltimore Museum of Art and a volunteer for the International African American Museum here in Charleston.

Traveling is one of her passions; she and her husband have visited Ethiopia, Cuba and Egypt, to name a few.

Eddie Doctor, Museum Security

Eddie Doctor rejoined the Gibbes team as security guard in October 2020. Doctor previously worked with the museum since 2010 and has over 25 years of experience in security, having worked at the Charleston Naval Weapons Station, the VA Hospital and Citadel Mall. Eddie also spent 20 years in the Department of Defense as an Army veteran and over 30 years as an ordained minister with his Charleston-based church.

Doctor’s duties at the Gibbes Museum consist of many responsibilities such as opening and closing the building, assisting guests, monitoring the museum through regular site tours, monitoring the Museum Store and monitoring the cameras in the security office. Doctor prides himself on making sure that everything is secure and in order for every visitor and special event.

Azjoni Hargrove, Museum Engagement Specialist

Azjoni Hargrove is an alumna of Johnson C. Smith University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in visual and performing arts with a concentration in graphic arts. Hargrove has been involved in performing arts and literary organizations since the start of her college career. As she fosters her vocation in the art world, Hargrove also manages social media and marketing for a small, local culinary business and is flexing her entrepreneurial muscles with her own graphic design firm. Currently, Hargrove is earning her Master’s in Arts Administration at Winthrop University.

Hargrove’s role at the museum allows her to study arts and programming while providing guests and arts professionals with hospitality and overall service. Hargrove is excited to integrate herself into the Gibbes Museum’s mission and lend her own expertise to exhibition promotion and support the expansion of the art world.

For images of the new hires, visit https://bit.ly/3coCxoq.

 

About the Gibbes Museum of Art

Home to the Carolina Art Association, established in 1858, the Gibbes Museum of Art is recognized among the oldest arts organizations in the United States. Housing one of the foremost collections of American Art from the 18th century to the present, the museum’s mission is to enhance lives through art by engaging people of every background and experience with art and artists of enduring quality and by providing opportunities to learn, to discover, to enjoy and to be inspired by the creative process. For more information, visit www.gibbesmuseum.org.