The Springfield Art Museum has added a second museum educator. Effective April 11, Lori Gipson will lead the museum’s studio arts programs and serve as a member of the leadership team.
Gipson will work closely with museum educator Jenny Schwartzberg in delivering educational services to more than 60,000 patrons per year, 8,500 of whom are children from more than 65 school districts located across southwest Missouri.
“I am so excited to become a part of the Springfield Art Museum and the Springfield community,” Gipson said in a press release. “It is an honor to join an institution that has such a profound legacy and history and to be a part of its continued growth. I look forward to creating meaningful and engaging programs for the museum’s visitors and the community to continue to connect with the museum, its collection, and each other.”
Gipson has a background in studio art, art education, museum education and museum and studio retail operations. She previously served as the education and community engagement manager at the Metal Museum in Memphis, where her educational programming work was awarded six times by the Tennessee Association of Museums.
“We are very excited to have Lori join our team,” said Springfield Art Museum Director Nick Nelson. “She is not only a talented artist and museum professional, but she also has a track record of developing and growing educational programs. I look forward to seeing the Museum’s studio art classes and other studio art programs expand under her leadership.”
Gipson earned her MFA from Kent State University, where she taught metalsmithing and jewelry, and a BFA from Missouri State University. Her immediate work with the museum will involve the reintroduction of in-person art classes, workshops, art camps and other studio-based programs that include art-making. Those programs have been on hiatus since March 2020. As museum educator, Gipson will oversee the museum’s popular Summer Art Camp sessions for children ages 6-10, which are enrolling now.
