Staff

Chelsea cultivates strategic partnerships for on- and off-site activities and initiatives between the museum, community, faculty, and students. Her work with community engagement through the arts includes creating meaningful engagements through programs like Art Sprouts and Mapping Q. She also curates community-based exhibitions in the Our Stories gallery working in partnership with faculty, artists, and local community organizations in order to amplify underserved artistic voices. Prior to the UAMA she taught high school visual art, art history and theater arts in Tucson, AZ. Chelsea holds an M.A. in Art Education from the University of Arizona.

Willa is passionate about creating opportunities for people to grow, share and connect through art. In addition to coordinating tours, group visits and UAMA docents, she helps develop programs and learning opportunities for visitors of all ages. Before working in museums, Willa ran educational programs and managed volunteers in many settings: from a National Wildlife Refuge to an NGO in Ollantaytambo, Peru to the office of Leadership and Career Education at UA. Willa completed an M.A. in Art and Visual Culture Education and a Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Arizona, and a B.A. in Religious Studies with a Minor in Dance from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In her role at UAMA, Violet is responsible for exhibition and object research, assistance with curatorial projects, meeting and event coordination, and various administrative tasks. She holds a BA in Art History from Arizona State University and was a curatorial intern under Olivia Miller in Spring 2020. Violet received her MA in Museum Studies from Harvard University’s Extension School in Spring 2023 and was recognized with the Dean’s List Academic Achievement Award, as well as the Director’s Prize for Best Capstone, for her project “Exhibition Design for All: How Experiencing Art Beyond Sight Can Benefit Sighted and Non-Sighted Art Museum Visitors.” She has a special interest in the accessibility of museums, and has published her research with the American Alliance for Museums as well as the National Association for Interpretation.

Albert oversees the preparation and installation of exhibitions at UAMA, as well as serves as the museum’s building manager. He has extensive experience in art handling and exhibition design. After receiving his BFA in Studio Arts from the University of Arizona, he spent years working as an art handler and picture framer, co-founding Atlas Fine Arts Services in 2011. Albert is originally from Massachusetts and moved to Tucson in 1994. He is a fixture in the local arts scene, and exhibits his work locally and nationally.

As head of security, Louis ensures the safety of both the artworks in our care and of all visitors to the building. In addition to directing the security team, he equips the entire UAMA staff with important skills through training in areas like CPR/AED administration and adult/pediatric first aid. One of our native Tucsonans, Louie has enjoyed working as a public servant for over 30 years. He joined the UAMA team as a security officer with considerable public safety and security experience, having studied social services in college and retiring as an officer with the Pima County Probation Department after 26 years. Although Louie came to UAMA with little experience in the arts, he has learned a great deal on the job. His favorite gallery is the Retablo, and he enjoys the positive and enthusiastic interactions he has with both students and visitors.

Sara manages and curates the collections at the UAMA Archive of Visual Arts. Her role includes but is not limited to building and maintaining relationships with donors, donation appraisal, accessioning, processing and initiating preservation standards for records of enduring value; managing digital curation and preservation projects and providing access and discoverability through reference services. Sara holds an MA in Library and Information Science from UArizona's Knowledge River Program. Her experience as an archivist spans across federal, state, academic, private and tribal information institutions. In her current position Sara is working toward creating more visibility for UAMA's Archive of Visual Arts by actively participating as a research institute within the larger campus community.

As UAMA's first-ever Visitor & Member Services Lead, Myriam curates visitors’ experience from the moment they enter the Museum. Myriam oversees student workers in Visitor Services, the UAMA Membership program, and helps to coordinate group visits with UAMA’s educators. Myriam is an Arizona alumni who worked at the UAMA as a student and earned her Bachelor of Science in 2021. She enjoys playing card games, trying new restaurants and going on hikes- especially hikes that end with water.

As Registrar, Kristen is responsible for all aspects of care and handling of the museum’s collection and objects on loan, including but not limited to packing and shipping, inventory, cataloging, and image rights. Kristen grew up in Vermont and graduated from Indiana University-Bloomington with a bachelor’s degree in art history. After an internship at the Tucson Museum of Art, she was the assistant registrar there for 10 years. She started as registrar at the UAMA in 2007 and then completed a master’s degree in art history, focusing on prints in the collection from the Early Modern period.

Chris oversees media inquiries and advertising opportunities for the UAMA, and serves as its graphic designer and content creator. She also manages the museum’s digital platforms, including its website, email newsletter and social media channels. Prior to joining the UAMA team in 2018, Chris worked in communications and marketing at Arizona State University’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability. She grew up in Northern Virginia, received her B.A. in Journalism – Public Relations from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and completed her M.A. in Sustainable Tourism at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia.