September 21, 2023
Carol Stakenas joins Providence College Galleries as director and chief curator
By Martha Young
Carol Stakenas is the new director and chief curator of Providence College Galleries. Stakenas, who previously was guest artistic director and curator at Swarthmore College Libraries, joined the PC community on September 18 – succeeding Jamilee Lacy, who earlier this year became executive director of the Frye Art Museum in Seattle.
“Carol brings extensive expertise in managing and curating art exhibitions for higher education institutions and non-profit organizations across the country,” said Sean F. Reid, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “We’re excited to have someone with Carol’s experience and vision come to PC.”
PC Galleries showcases contemporary art to advance PC’s mission to cultivate “aesthetic appreciation and understanding of the natural world, other cultures, and diverse traditions” while promoting “the common good and service of neighbors near and far.”
It operates two on-campus galleries, the Reilly Gallery at the Smith Center for the Arts and a gallery in Hunt-Cavanagh Hall. Resources on its website, pcgalleries.providence.edu, include the online journal Providence Arts & Letters. PC Galleries also manages installations and exhibitions across the college’s campus and intersects with the public throughout the city.
One public project is My HomeCourt, an initiative that fosters community engagement through the revitalization of basketball courts and city parks with cutting-edge contemporary art. Every year, an outdoor, public basketball court at a Providence park is selected for renovation. PC Galleries commissions an internationally renowned artist to design a ground mural for that court. Kate McNamara, executive and creative director of My HomeCourt, served as interim director of PC Galleries prior to Stakenas’ arrival. The fifth My HomeCourt project is underway at Ninth Street Park in Providence with a mural design by Sanford Biggers.
PC Galleries also was instrumental in founding the Interlace Grant Fund and continues to partner with Dirt Palace Public Projects to distribute funds provided by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Regional Regranting Program.
“I am excited to help further grow PCG as a space of belonging, contemplation, and a hub for dialogue, participation, and innovation,” Stakenas said. “PCG is generating momentum, and I’m looking forward to collaborating with my gallery colleagues, faculty, friars, and students to amplify the work and create their vision.”
Stakenas, who has an MFA in sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art, a bachelor of fine arts degree in ceramics from the Kansas City Art Institute, and a bachelor’s degree from Goucher College, has held curator and producer roles for art-based organizations across the country, in addition to being a frequent conference participant, author, and editor of literary projects.
Prior to Swarthmore, Stakenas worked as the executive director of No Longer Empty, a nonprofit that curated site-responsive exhibitions, education, and public programs in locations around New York City, and was the executive director of the Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions.
Stakenas first learned about PC at the 2022 Imagining America conference, at an “Arts of Community Renewal” session hosted by Eric Sung, MFA, professor of photography, and Nicholas Longo, Ph.D., professor of global studies. They discovered a shared commitment to community engagement and the arts as a pathway for social justice and transformation.
“That encounter put PC on my radar,” Stakenas said. “Then I looked closely at PCG’s range of programming and discovered even more creative alignment, especially in the approach that combines exhibitions in the galleries as well as projects around campus and in Providence.”
Stakenas’ vision is to continue to foster active participation and connection with broader issues that shape society and impact the planet.
“I’m impressed by PCG’s distributed presence across campus and in Providence, as well as its online presence, which offers additional resources and multimedia content and extends the reach of gallery offerings,” Stakenas said. “Through this multimodal approach, PCG can offer an environment where art becomes a catalyst for intellectual engagement, grappling with complexity, and challenging perspectives to enrich the educational journey of students, faculty, and members of the community.
