UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — After working outside of the state for most of his career, Robert Sparrow Jones returns to his Pennsylvania roots to serve as the new curator and senior gallery manager of the HUB-Robeson Galleries at Penn State.
Jones joins the HUB-Robeson Galleries after serving as the executive director and curator of collections at the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, for more than three years.
“The HUB-Robeson Galleries, and the HUB-Robeson Center at large, have exceeded all my expectations. As an inclusive practitioner in the art gallery/education field, I responded strongly to the HUB-Robeson Center’s dedicated values of diversity, inclusion, equity and the transformative powers of art,” Jones said. “I believe in facilitating arts-based programming for campus and community participation because it initiates social connections and positively influences local and global conditions. I have already witnessed this firsthand and can envision the emotional growth that these exhibitions and programs can foster here.”
Prior to Lane Motor Museum, Jones worked as assistant director of exhibitions at the Tennessee State Museum. He has held several positions at various galleries in Tacoma, Washington, including exhibit curator at the Washington State History Museum, gallery director for the Commencement Art Gallery, exhibits contractor at the Tacoma Art Museum, and exhibits designer at the Museum of Glass.
Jones also has experience as a painting and drawing professor at NOVA Southeastern University, Piedmont College, Towson University, and the Maryland Institute of College Art. In 2014, he was selected to be the assistant to glass artist Dale Chihuly in Seattle to develop a new body of glass works titled “Glass on Glass.”
“We are very excited to have Robert join us as he leads our visual arts program for Student Affairs,” said Mary Edgington, senior director of the HUB-Robeson Center. “His extensive background in the arts brings a unique perspective and vision as we continue to grow and develop the visual arts program in the HUB and beyond. His work as an artist, curator, educator, director and technician will provide exciting and thought-provoking conversations as we continue to provide an educational and impactful experience for our students and community.”
Jones succeeds Lindsey Landfried, an artist, curator, arts advocate and Penn State alumna who was named curator and senior gallery manager of the HUB-Robeson Galleries in August 2018. Landfried is now working as associate director for arts advancement at the Penn State Center for the Performing Arts.
“For the past few years, Lindsey provided a vision and direction that expanded the visual arts program in the HUB and throughout campus and increased the engagement of our students in that area,” Edgington said. “We are forever grateful for all she did for our students during this time and are so pleased that she is still contributing to the arts at Penn State.”
The HUB-Robeson Galleries, a unit of Penn State Student Affairs, coordinate and host exhibitions of contemporary visual art by student, emerging and professional artists. The galleries bring in artists from around the nation who work in a variety of art forms. Working to advance diversity, equity, expression and access in all their forms, inclusion is prioritized and a core strength of the galleries' public service mission.