SPRINGFIELD, MO.- The Springfield Art Museum announced today that Joshua Best accepted the role of museum educator. Best most recently served as museum affairs officer for audience development from 2021-2024. He joined the Springfield Art Museum as development and marketing coordinator in 2015.

As museum educator and a member of the Springfield Art Museum leadership team, Best will plan and lead the Museum’s public programs as well as in-school and out-of-school tours and programs like the annual Fifth Grade Field Trips. Best and Museum curatorial staff will continue mounting the long-standing and popular All School Exhibition. Best will also manage the Museum’s volunteer docent corps.

Best says, “I’ve strived to place art interpretation, accessibility, and inclusion at the core of my work for the Museum through engagement events like the 99 Times Party and Art In Bloom and the continuation of the family-friendly Take-Home Project Bags launched during the pandemic. I’m excited to grow the Museum’s impact through direct services to our immediate and surrounding communities.”

Museum Director Nick Nelson adds, “Joshua brings experience and expertise as an educator and classroom teacher to this position as well as an extensive knowledge of our community and our Museum. His passion for and commitment to accessibility and inclusion ensures that as a municipal Museum, our programs welcome and serve diverse audiences. I look forward to Joshua’s leadership in expanding the Museum’s education programs in new and exciting directions.”

Before joining the Springfield Art Museum, Best was a certified educator who taught in Nixa, Springfield, and Columbia, Missouri’s public school systems. Best has two decades of experience in marketing and advertising, event planning, fundraising, public relations, volunteer management, and writing for arts education, social justice nonprofits, and cultural institutions. Best was the recipient of the 2023 Arts Ambassador Ozzie Award from the Springfield Regional Arts Council and guest curated the special exhibition Breath, Light, and Distance on view at the Springfield Art Museum through September 1.

Best replaces Jenny Schwartzberg who left the Museum in March 2024. Best joins Museum Educator Lori Gipson, who oversees the Museum’s studio art classes, art camps, and art-making programs. Museum Affairs Officer Kate Francis will assume audience development, marketing, and public relations responsibilities in the interim.