Mila Pinigin, the current director at the Aidron Duckworth Art Museum in Meriden, will replace Margaret Jacobs as exhibition manager at AVA Gallery and Art Center in Lebanon, beginning full time on Nov. 1.
Jacobs, a sculptor, who had been exhibition manager, as well as a faculty member, at AVA since 2010, left in July to concentrate on her own art.
Pinigin, who graduated in 2012 from Sarah Lawrence College in New York, has โa lot of very valuable experience and knows the Upper Valley contemporary art scene very well,โ said Trip Anderson, AVA Galleryโs executive director.
Pinigin previously worked at AVA under Jacobs as a volunteer and intern. She took up the reins at the Duckworth in January 2016. She will begin at AVA part time in September while maintaining her part-time job as director at the Duckworth until the end of October.
โI think going in Iโm just definitely going to get a good understanding of how things have been working,โ Pinigin said in a phone interview.
She is interested to find ways for the โcommunity to learn about and engage with art through our exhibitions,โ she said.
Grace Harde, a trustee of the Duckworth, said that they will advertise the museum director position shortly. Harde praised Piniginโs ability to bring the activities of the museum into the 21st century digital era.
While the trustees will not make significant changes to museum programming, the museum will redefine its mission, and examine more fully how Duckworthโs work relates to the larger context of 20th century art.
โWe want to hone in on how Aidronโs art relates to the world,โ Harde said.
Nicola Smith can be reached at nsmith@vnews.com.