For the past 15 years, Belinda Ann Tate has led the Diggs Gallery, one of the nation's top African American art galleries. Now she is coming to Kalamazoo as executive director of the Kalamazoo Art Institute beginning Sept. 8.
She was the top choice in a national search for a director after James Bridenstine announced he would retire in 2014 after 24 years at the helm of the local art institute.
During her tenure at the Diggs Gallery on the Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina the gallery increased its permanent collection by 20 percent. It now includes works by John Biggers, Elizabeth Catlett, Al Loving, Ed Clark, Howardena Pindell, Hank Willis Thomas, Sheila Pree Bright, and Willie Birch, along with traditional African art.
She has been recognized for engaging the community as an enthusiastic champion for the arts. During her tenure student participation at the Diggs Gallery increased from 20 percent in 1999 to a peak of 83 percent in 2010.
"Kalamazoo has a stellar reputation for supporting the arts and the KIA. I’m eager to build on that support, especially as KIA celebrates its 90th birthday," Tate says. "It’s a privilege to become part of this outstanding institute and the West Michigan arts community."
Tate earned a master of arts degree in liberal studies from Wake Forest University. Her bachelor of arts degree in art history is from Yale University with a concentration in museum studies. Tate also studied conservation and connoisseurship at Yale Graduate School, and British art and architecture at the Paul Mellon Center in London, England. She is a regular lecturer and writer on the arts.
James Carter led the KIA board’s Selection Committee. He says Tate was the clear choice to lead the institute. "We reviewed many quality candidates from across the country, but Belinda demonstrated the right mix of talent, knowledge and energy," Carter says. "She’s a great fit for KIA and Kalamazoo."
The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts is a nonprofit art museum and school. Since 1924, the institute has offered art classes, exhibitions, lectures, events, activities and a permanent collection that now includes more than 4,200 pieces.
Source: Rick Chambers, Chambers and Associates
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