Internationally Acclaimed Glass Curator Joining Old Dominion to Lead Barry Art Museum
January 17, 2017
Jutta-Annette Page
Architectural rendering of the Barry Art Museum
An internationally acclaimed glass curator has been named the executive director of the Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University.
Jutta-Annette Page, the senior curator of glass and decorative arts at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, will lead the museum, which is expected to open in 2018.
The Barry Museum will feature more than 200 glass sculptures, paintings and other works, as well as revolving exhibits. Richard Barry, a former rector of Old Dominion's Board of Visitors, and his wife, Carolyn, last year provided the largest gift in the University's history - valued at more than $35 million - to establish the museum.
Old Dominion President John R. Broderick said: "The size and quality of the Barrys' generous gift enabled us to attract one of the world's leading experts in glass art. I am confident that Dr. Page will help create what will soon be a major cultural destination in Hampton Roads."
Page will become executive director on March 1. Her research specialties include ancient to modern glass, the history of jewelry and European tapestries.
"I am honored to have been chosen by the leadership of Old Dominion University and donors Carolyn and Richard Barry to create this exciting new art museum," Page said. "I am certain the creative process will generate new ideas and allow us to discover new connections that will enhance and refine the vision and appearance of this new institution.
"I am looking forward to familiarizing myself with the university and greater cultural communities of Hampton Roads and to develop new partnerships regionally, nationally and internationally," she said.
Page has been a curator at the Toledo Museum of Art since 2003, supervising gallery design, installation and interpretation of about 7,000 glass objects. The exhibits she has organized include "Hot Spot: Contemporary Studio Glass from Private Collections" and - with the Mint Museum in Charlotte, N.C. - "Fired Up: Contemporary Glass from the Toledo Museum of Art."
"Jutta has a unique background with outstanding knowledge of glass, jewelry and decorative arts," said Brian Kennedy, director, president and CEO of the Toledo Museum of Art. "She is a foremost expert in her field."
Previously, Page was curator of European glass for a decade at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York.
Her publications include "Color Ignited: Studio Glass, 1996-2012" for the Toledo Museum, "The Art of Glass: Masterworks from the Toledo Museum of Art" and "Beyond Venice: Glass in Venetian Style, 1500-1700" for the Corning Museum.
Page has received several awards, including the 2016 Lifetime Membership Award from the Glass Art Society. She is a past president of the society. Page also was recently named a fellow at the Corning Museum.
She received her master's and doctoral degrees in the history of art and architecture from Brown University in Rhode Island.
Carolyn Barry, a docent and former board member of the Chrysler Museum of Art, said, "Jutta is highly respected in the museum world. With her vast experience and knowledge of art, she definitely has the skills to launch our new museum. Dick and I are so pleased that she is coming to ODU."
Richard Barry predicted that Page will be "a terrific leader as the new museum becomes established. She should be effective developing both programs and audience outreach. Jutta will create a collegial environment of collaboration where visual arts can thrive within all parts of the University."
Barry is a former executive at Landmark Media Enterprises, which publishes The Virginian-Pilot, and its predecessor, Landmark Communications.
Robert Wojtowicz, a professor of art history who is dean of the university's Graduate School and led the search committee for the museum director, said, "I know that Dr. Page will bring the right combination of dynamic leadership and scholarly expertise to what will truly be a vibrant artistic and cultural addition to the area."
The Barry Art Museum will be located on Hampton Boulevard, across 43rd Street from the Ted Constant Convocation Center. The two-story museum will include about 110 glass sculptures and 70 paintings from the Barrys' collection, as well as 50 paintings, drawings and prints from the university's collection, including works by former art professors A.B. Jackson and Charles Sibley.
Broderick thanked the members of the search committee - Wojtowicz; Charles Wilson, special advisor to the provost; Dianne Debeixedon, associate professor of art, and Catherine Wass, former deputy director of the Chrysler Museum of Art - as well as Barry Art Museum board members Kate Broderick, First Lady of the University; David Goode, retired president, chairman and chief executive officer of Norfolk Southern Corp., and Lewis W. Webb III, an attorney with Kaufman & Canoles.