From: Phil deHaan (dehp@calvin.edu)
Date: Fri Apr 25 2003 - 11:55:34 EDT
April 25, 2003 == MEDIA RELEASE
The director of education for the Holland Historical Trust has been lured back
to Calvin College, his alma mater, to become the new director of exhibitions
for the school's art gallery.
Joel Zwart, who has worked for the Trust for almost three years, is a 1997
graduate of Calvin who majored in history and minored in art and French. The
chance to return to Calvin to head up the Center Art Gallery was too good to
pass up.
He is expected to begin his new duties May 5.
"I had a good experience when I attended Calvin in the 1990s," he says, "and
became intrigued by the position (of director of exhibitions). The opportunity
to take over the gallery and bring some fascinating exhibits to Calvin is
exciting."
Yet Zwart admits he'll miss his work in Holland.
"I really like being able to work on a variety of projects and exhibits that
have historical, social and artistic value to the Holland community," he says.
"I will particularly miss what my role would have been in the development of
our historic houses, temporary exhibits and future permanent galleries."
Those feelings are tempered however by the potential he sees for the gallery
at Calvin.
"I'm hopeful," he says, "that the gallery can become a more visible part of
both the campus community and the greater West Michigan community. Part of
what I hope to see happen with the gallery at Calvin directly applies to my
thoughts on the
gallery's purpose within the college. As an element of the art department and
the college, the gallery has a commitment to foster scholarship and
understanding of art within the campus and abroad. Consequently, the gallery
should be committed to the campus first, but also to the community that the
campus is a part of."
Zwart is the son of post-war immigrants from the Netherlands, and he grew up
in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. After his 1997 graduation from Calvin he went
on to earn a master's degree in Historical Administration from Eastern Illinois
University (he was a Dean's list honoree at both institutions). While a Calvin
student he interned with the Muskegon Museum of Art and the Public Museum of
Grand Rapids.
At the Holland Historical Trust his duties included providing leadership and
training for docent guides, managing volunteer and intern projects, creating
public programming, and conducting media interviews. While in graduate school
he was a gallery assistant at the Tarble Arts Center.
Contact Joel Zwart at 616-534-8371 (home)
-end-
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