Olivia Miller Steps Down As UAMA Director

Having accepted the position of executive director at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, director Olivia Miller will step down from her role at UAMA beginning September 12.

In mid-September Director Olivia Miller will start a new position as executive director of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon, where she received her MA in Art History. As we celebrate this exciting new chapter in her career, we reflect fondly on her thirteen years at UAMA and the meaningful impact she has had on the museum in that time.

An alumna of the University of Arizona (BA ‘05, Art History & Studio Art), Olivia joined the UAMA team in 2012 as Curator of Education. She oversaw the docent and education programs before becoming Curator of Exhibitions in 2014. In 2023, after serving as interim for ten months, Olivia became the first woman appointed director of the museum. 

Even as director, Olivia has continued curating. Over the course of her tenure, she has curated more than 35 exhibitions — many drawing national attention. The Art of Food: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation, which debuted at UAMA in 2021, went on to tour seven museums nationwide. Most recently, she brought the landmark exhibition Hank Willis Thomas: LOVERULES to Tucson — the largest survey of the acclaimed artist’s work presented in the Southwest.

Olivia has been a dedicated steward of the UAMA permanent collection. She worked with the Getty as they restored Willem de Kooning's Woman-Ochre, badly damaged during its theft from UAMA decades earlier, as well as oversaw the special exhibition marking the painting's return to public view. She also championed conservation for key works of campus public art, like Lyman Kipp’s Hudson Bay and Athena Tacha’s Curving Arcades (Homage to Bernini), as well as initiated a long-term conservation project for the museum’s treasured Altarpiece of Ciudad Rodrigo.

Throughout her years at UAMA, Olivia has continued sharing her deep passion for arts education. She taught three Humanities Seminar Program courses, winning the Ted and Shirley Taubeneck Superior Teaching Award twice. She was also recognized by Arizona Arts for her development efforts on UAMA's behalf, and recently secured a major HVAC upgrade that will improve visitor comfort and ensure conditions necessary to preserve the museum's permanent collection for decades to come.

"While we will miss her deeply, this is a proud moment. Olivia, the School of Art and UAMA go back more than 20 years," said College of Fine Arts Dean Hasan Elahi. "Please join me in congratulating her on this well-deserved next chapter, and in thanking her for her years of leadership and friendship. We will announce interim leadership plans in the coming weeks."

UAMA expresses immense gratitude to Olivia for her lasting legacy, and wishes her the very best!