Name: Jill Koverman
Title: Curator of collections
Department: McKissick Museum

How long have you been at the University? I came in 1996 as a graduate student, and I worked as a guest curator through a graduate fellowship here at the museum. I graduated in August 1998 with a master's degree in art history and then had another short stint as a guest curator. From 1999 to 2000, I was curator of education; then I left in mid-2000 to become collections manager at the Historic Charleston Foundation. I returned to McKissick in March 2006 as curator of collections.

How did you become interested in art and museum collections? I always had an interest in art but didn't take my first art history class until I was a sophomore at Emory University. I had been on the pre-law track, but an interest in art and museums just took hold. I realized I wanted to work in a museum and get people really thinking about art and how it enriches everyone's life.

What are your duties? I'm responsible for the care of the objects in the permanent collections, which includes historical collections, traditional arts, such as baskets and ceramics, and the Southern Tradition Pottery, which is my area of expertise. I catalog items in the permanent collections, answer requests for information, and coordinate item loans to other institutions. I'm also the liaison to the museum's advisory council, which is my connection to the gala.

Tell us about the gala. A Fool for Art is the museum's annual fund-raising gala and exhibit, and we're just wrapping up this year's event: the closing reception is May 3. I work closely with the museum's director Lynn Robertson, and the advisory council helps us create the theme. There are different committees within the council that help with decorating, fund raising, artist selection.

How well did the museum do this year? The event has really grown. We had 100 works by 49 artists for sale this year. We raised about 30 percent more than we did last year and sold more than $17,000 worth of artwork. Most of the artists have a connection to the University--whether as faculty, staff, or alumnus--and the majority of them are from Columbia. They set the price for their work, and some of the artists have donated 100 percent of the sale from their work to the museum; most have agreed to a 60/40 split, with the artist getting 60 percent of the sale. We will use some of the funds in acquiring items for collections and to support a public educational program. Last year's gala helped us underwrite our Clay Day event we had in the fall.

What's next for the museum? A big natural history exhibit that will open this fall. The working title is 'Natural Curiosity' and it will look at how scientists and academics at the University--from Thomas Cooper to A.C. Moore to Lawrence 'Rock' Smith to present faculty--have collected fossils, gems, minerals, and other specimens and how their explorations as naturalists have contributed greatly to the field of science for the past 200 years.

4/07