Jessica Kinsey 
Director/Curator of the Southern Utah Museum of Art | Southern Utah University
Cedar City, UT, UNITED STATES
Specializing in community outreach and engagement, museum exhibition curation, and collection management
Biography
Jessica Kinsey is the director of the Southern Utah Museum of Art at Southern Utah University. As the museum director, Kinsey provides leadership and vision for SUMA as an experiential learning environment with a balanced commitment to education and community.
Her education and professional experience has given Kinsey expertise in the creation, reception and institutionalization of the visual arts, from the most ancient to the most contemporary. Kinsey is well-versed in museum management procedures, exhibit and educational programming and community interaction. In November 2016, Kinsey was a Forty Under 40 recipient, an award honoring exceptional individuals who have made a significant contribution to shaping the Oklahoma City landscape.
Kinsey earned a bachelor’s in art history and a master’s in museum studies from the University of Oklahoma. Starting as a part-time student employee, Kinsey worked at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art and moved up the ranks to become the museum’s Director of Public Engagement. She began her SUU career in July 2017.
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Industry Expertise (5)
Fund-Raising
Events Services
Museums and Institutions
Fine Art
Program Development
Areas of Expertise (17)
Art as Architecture
Experiential Learning - Arts Administration
Community Outreach Through Arts
K-12 Art Education
Fine Art
Visual Arts
Arts Administration
Museum Exhibition Curation
Museum Administration
Museum Education
Art Exhibitions
Project Management
Fund Raising
Corporate Sponsorship
Community Engagement
Higher Education Community Partnerships
Arts Education in Rurual Communities
Education (2)
University of Oklahoma: B.A., Art History
University of Oklahoma: M.A., Museum Studies
Accomplishments (1)
Forty Under 40 Recipient
Oklahoma City, November 2016
Affiliations (3)
- Utah Museums Association
- Association of Academic Museums and Galleries
- American Alliance of Museums
Links (2)
Media Appearances (6)
SUMA to start summer season with iconic local landscapes; related art activities scheduled
St George News online
2019-05-10
Landscape artists are an important aspect of the Southern Utah culture and art community. They have a long history in the region and are a core element of the SUMA collection. “Kate is reexamining the landscape in a new way, taking the freedom to manipulate and experiment with the scale,” said Jessica Farling, director/curator of SUMA. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase her work.”
Southern Utah Museum of Art open to the public
ABC 4 News Utah online
2019-01-23
If you are a parent looking for something fun and free to do for your kids after school on early out days, Southern Utah Museum of Art is open for the public to help people get out in the community. Jessica Farling, SUMA Director/Curator, spoke about the collaboration between Frontier Homestead Museum, The Public Library, and the Garth and Jerri Frehner Museum of Natural History.
Southern Utah Museum of Art named new director
Deseret News online
2017-06-13
The Southern Utah Museum of Art has named Jessica Farling as its new director and curator. The museum, 13 S. 300 West, is part of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Center for the Arts on the campus of Southern Utah University.
SUMA Welcomes Jessica Farling as Director/Curator
Southern Utah University online
2017-05-31
Southern Utah Museum of Art is excited to announce our new director/curator, Jessica Farling, coming to Cedar City on July 1, 2017. She received her Master of Arts in Museum Studies from the University of Oklahoma. She focused her studies on museum administration and museum education.
Annual art exhibition at Fred Jones Jr. Museum shows off OU students' hard work
OU Daily online
2016-04-26
The 102nd Annual Student Exhibition for the School of Art and Art History opened last weekend at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, awarding over $5,000 in student awards. The competitive, juried show began in 1914 and is held each spring semester to highlight works created by students in the OU School of Art & Art History, said Jessica Farling, director of public engagement at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum. According to Farling, each student was allowed to submit up to three pieces. 52 students submitted work for the show, and 32 were selected.
Silver Soirée to raise funds for abstract art acquisition
The Norman Transcript online
2015-11-10
Event spokesperson Jessica Farling said she’s hopeful that the Silver Soirée will see that it is returned to the viewing public along with a brand new addition. “We are looking at contemporary work for the new acquisition,” Farling said. “The artist we’re looking to acquire is Kim Squaglia. She creates these incredible abstract works where she is actually building on layers of resin. They look very dimensional despite being 2-D works. That’s the first thing. The second thing is conservation for a 17th-century painting that the museum has had since the 1940s. Due to it’s condition, it hasn’t been on display. We want to put it back on display for current generations, but have it preserved for future ones.”
