Mary Salvante is a visual arts professional with over 30 years of experience as a curator and arts administrator. The focus of her practice is contemporary art program development and planning of interdisciplinary curatorial projects, public art installation programs, and artist in residence programs.

As Director and Chief Curator at Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum, Mary transitioned it into one with regional impact through the curation of innovative contemporary art exhibitions and public programming with noted artists: Dread Scott, Mel Chin, Beverly Semmes, Joyce Kozloff, Brandon Ballengee, Julie Heffernan, Ebony Patterson, Federico Solmi, Jamea Richmond Edwards, Saya Woolfalk, Jeanne Silverthorne and others. She is the founder of the Center for Art and Social Engagement at Rowan where the permanent art collection is presented side by side with innovative community engagement projects that focus on social issues and advocacy.

Prior to Rowan Mary developed and created community-based programs including her NEA award winning work as founding director of the environmental art program at The Schuylkill Center. This program was the first of its kind in Philadelphia and introduced ecological art installations and artists in residence programs to the public. She co-founded Art In the Open Philadelphia, a bi-annual event that brings artists outside to work along the banks of the Schuylkill River in Fairmount Park. She also contributed to transitioning Philadelphia Open Studio Tours into an annual city-wide event and from a volunteer run event to one now managed and presented by The Center for Emerging Visual Artists. For her public arts management work with The Main Line Art Center, Mary received an Arts Management Excellence award from the Arts and Business Council of Philadelphia.

Originally from New York City, Mary was an associate with an art advisory firm where she provided curatorial, art-acquisitions, public art and site-specific commissions-management services to corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations.

Mary is a co-founder of Creative Glassboro, an arts advisory committee for the town of Glassboro. She is also on the art advisory committee for The Center for Emerging Visual Artists and is a board member for Philadelphia Sculptors. She also held advisory positions with Art in City Hall, Inliquid, and The Main Line Art Center. She received her BFA degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York City, and a Master of Science degree in Arts Administration from Drexel University in Philadelphia.

salvante@rowan.edu

Kristin Qualls is the Gallery Coordinator for the Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum in Glassboro, NJ. For 20 years, Kristin has been active in museums and galleries as an exhibition developer and designer and a collections manager.  

She began her museum career as the Assistant Director of the Historical Electronics Museum in Linthicum, MD, overseeing management of the collections and assisting with exhibition refurbishment. After receiving her graduate degree, Qualls became the Collections and Exhibits Specialist at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA. There she led the development of new core exhibits Electricity and Amazing Machine that integrated artifacts, art works, and interactive stations for an interdisciplinary and multi-generational experience. She also coordinated incoming traveling exhibits and worked in the curatorial department, helping to care for The Institute’s historic collection. 

Qualls moved to New Jersey to become the Director of Exhibitions and Collections for the Museum of American Glass at Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center in Millville, NJ. There she was an integral part of the 6 year long Emanation project, sharing curatorial and design authority with established artists who utilized the resources of the museum and glass studio to create new works displayed in a series of exhibitions. 

Qualls received an M.F.A. in Museum Exhibition Planning and Design from The University of the Arts and her B.A. in Science, Technology, and Society from Vassar College. She is a Trustee of the Heritage Glass Museum in Glassboro, NJ.

qualls@rowan.edu