MORGANTOWN — Art Museum of WVU Director Joyce Ice recently announced her plans to retire, effective July 7.
“Joy has been vital in the development of the Art Museum of West Virginia University,” said Keith Jackson, dean of the College of Creative Arts. “The programming, exhibitions and events held during Joy’s tenure have brought educational experiences with art into the lives of thousands of citizens in our region. We thank Joy for her many years of dedicated service.”
Jackson said a national search for the next director of the museum will begin immediately.
“It has been a pleasure working as the founding director of the Art Museum of West Virginia University,” Ice said. “We have accomplished many things in the last nine years, and I’m proud of the experience we have been able to provide as the only professional art museum in Morgantown.”
Ice was hired in 2009 as the founding director of the museum and oversaw its planning and development. She established in 2010 the Friends of the Art Museum of WVU, a membership group for people who enjoy the arts and social, educational and cultural activities revolving around art. The museum opened to the public on August 25, 2015. The museum has a collection with more than 3,000 works of art and has exhibited works from famed artists including Shepard Fairey, How and Nosm and Blanche Lazzell.
“I will treasure all of the memories and friendships I have made during my time at WVU,” Ice said. “I know that the museum is in great hands with our staff, and I look forward to following its progress in the future.”
Ice is involved in many professional activities, including service on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities, International Council of Museums United States National Committee and American Alliance of Museums Accreditation Visiting Committees.
Ice has served as project director for summer Teacher Institutes and a Media Grant from the West Virginia Humanities Council for a documentary on self-taught artists in Appalachia, which aired in fall 2016 on WV Public Broadcasting and Kentucky Educational TV. In 2015, she was recognized by the WV Art Education Association for her service and the museum received recognition for Excellence in the Arts.
From 1999-2008, Ice was director of the Museum of International Folk Art, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and was involved in numerous exhibition, publication and educational projects. “On Collecting: From Private to Public,” a collection of essays for which she served as editor, was published in 2009 by the University of Washington Press.
Joyce holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology and Folklore from The University of Texas at Austin, and degrees in education from WVU.
