Jul 10, 2013 Chad Alligood has joined the Crystal Bridges staff as assistant curator for special projects. In this newly created position, Alligood will work with museum president Don Bacigalupi on a new initiative to develop a major exhibition program that will have both a national and international presence. Alligood is a Perry, Ga., native who earned his bachelor’s degree in history of art and architecture from Harvard University, his master’s degree in art history from the University of Georgia, and has completed his doctoral coursework at City University of New York (CUNY). After serving as adjunct professor of art history at Brooklyn College from 2010 to 2012, Alligood went on to become a curatorial intern for collections at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, where he provided research support for the development of large exhibitions of modern art in New York and abroad. He received the Kress Foundation Fellowship from Smith College Institute for Art Museum Studies, and comes to Crystal Bridges from Cranbrook Art Museum where he was serving as a Jeanne and Ralph Graham Collections Fellow, preparing an exhibition titled What to Paint and Why: Modern Painters at Cranbrook, 1936 – 1974, which opened in early June. Alligood’s research and exhibitions have focused on American art since 1900, and his areas of particular interest include contemporary art, art of the 1960s and 70s, and art of the west coast. “Chad is the ideal curator to help shape Crystal Bridges’ new exhibition initiative,” said Bacigalupi. “His experience in research and organization for a range of exhibitions will serve us very well as we move forward with new projects.” “As a native of the rural South, I have followed the story of Crystal Bridges from its beginnings with great excitement,” Alligood said. “The museum’s commitment to fostering meaningful connections for all through the experience of art dovetails with my own experiences as a curator and educator. I look forward to contributing to this exciting new exhibition initiative while getting to know the people and places of Northwest Arkansas.” # # #
