BUFFALO, NY.- University at Buffalo Art Galleries announced the new appointment of Anna Wager, Ph.D. as Curator of Exhibitions. The interdisciplinary search committee comprised of staff and faculty selected Wager for her experience with curating both from collections and working with contemporary artists in an academic setting. UB Art Galleries Director and search committee chair Robert Scalise stated, “We’re thrilled and delighted that Wager has joined our team. She brings important experience of working with art historical research, contemporary artists, and connecting students to the work.”

As Curator of Exhibitions, Wager will conceptualize and implement UB Art Galleries’ exhibitions and programs of contemporary art with a commitment to supporting art and ideas that are urgent and relevant to our time and place.

“I am excited to be joining, and learning from, the vibrant arts and intellectual community at UB and in Buffalo. I look forward to facilitating access to a vast range of exhibitions and artists, and collaborating with artists, students, and community organizers from across the region,” said Wager. “There is so much incredible potential at an academic institution to question, expand, and deepen what artmaking can do, and I am energized by expanding the pedagogical potential of the galleries as sites of critical inquiry and spaces for students to gain valuable experience.”

Prior to joining UB Art Galleries, Wager was the Clarence A. Davis Visual Arts Curator and Gallery Director at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where she started in 2018. There Wager worked on solo exhibitions by contemporary artists including John Opera, Amanda Maciuba, Andrew Ellis Johnson, Rebecca Murtaugh, Sarita Zaleha, and more, as well as collections and thematic group exhibitions around topics such as art and labor, craft and democracy, Afrofuturism, and portraiture as a form of institutional critique. She also supervised and taught students as gallery assistants and curatorial interns. Previous curatorial projects and fellowships include work at the Delaware Art Museum, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Henry Art Gallery. Wager holds a Ph.D. in Art History from the University of Washington in Seattle. Her research interests include Critical Museum Studies, book arts and material culture, typography, textiles and fabric art, contemporary craft, and collection ethics.