TOLEDO, OH.- Three Toledo area women have been named to positions in the recently reorganized education department at the Toledo Museum of Art, Director Brian Kennedy has announced.

Following a national search, Dr. Katherina Danko-McGhee joins the staff as director of education, and Dr. Leanne Gilbertson becomes curator of education, both effective Aug. 29. In addition, staff member Lori Foshag, who served as interim director of education for nearly a year, has been named manager of community programs.

Danko-McGhee comes to the Museum from the University of Toledo where she was a professor of early childhood art education. “The Museum is fortunate to find this very talented individual within our community,” Kennedy said. “Kathy is an esteemed expert in early childhood education. Her awards, honors and publications are both numerous and indicative of her dedication and recognition in the art education field.”

Danko-McGhee will lead the Museum’s efforts to be in the forefront of teaching visual literacy. Proponents of visual literacy, or “learning how to look,” say that keen observational skills are not only essential to understanding, creating and appreciating art, but they also enhance our ability to see, analyze and understand other aspects of the ever-changing world around us.

No stranger to the Museum, Danko-McGhee has worked with TMA staff to develop the curriculum for the Family Center and other early childhood classes currently offered. In demand as a presenter for national and international conferences in her field, she recently coordinated the fourth International Art in Early Childhood Conference hosted by the University of Toledo Center for the Visual Arts and the Museum.

A graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan University, Danko-McGhee earned her master’s degree from Indiana State and her doctorate from Ohio State University. Several of her books have become the basis for early childhood art education programs both here and abroad. Her most recent book, The Impact of Art Experiences on Literary Development, was co-authored with R. Slutsky and published by the National Art Education Association in 2007.

Gilbertson earned her bachelor’s degree in art history from Montana State University, a master’s degree in art history from the University of Iowa, and both master’s and doctoral degrees in visual and cultural studies from the University of Rochester.

She has taught art history, art appreciation and visual studies courses at several institutions of higher learning, including Bowling Green State University, the University of Pittsburgh and Sam Houston State University. Most recently she served as a lecturer in art history and gallery direction at the University of Toledo. She also has experience as a curatorial assistant at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and was a research assistant at MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) and Kidspace North Adams.

At TMA Gilbertson will be responsible for leading the Docent education program and for academic outreach to institutions of higher learning. She also will work with the Museum curatorial department on the development of digital and film presentations in the galleries.

“Leanne’s background and her experience working in universities and arts centers with a focus on visual studies makes her ideal for this position,” Kennedy noted.

As manager of community programs, Foshag will lead efforts to present educational offerings through teacher workshops, public programs and other experiences in support of teaching visual literacy.

“Lori’s dedicated service and willingness to take on new challenges over the past year at the Museum is much appreciated. Her experience and knowledge of both the Museum and the greater community brings much to the department as we work to expand our outreach educational efforts,” Kennedy said.

Since joining the Museum’s staff in 1995 as coordinator of the young artists program, Foshag has held a variety of positions, including supervisor of the Resource Center for Educators, assistant director of education and most recently, interim director of education.

A graduate of Ohio State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in art education, she earned her master’s degree in art education at the University of Toledo.