Executive Director, Medici Museum of Art, Howland, Ohio
As executive director of the Medici Museum of Art in Howland, Ohio, Katelyn Amendolara-Russo oversees all operations of the museum, including planning exhibits, curating, managing installations, and fundraising.
“We are a small museum, so I get to wear many hats,” she said.
Medici Museum of Art was established under Foundation Medici in 1993 and served as the auxiliary museum for The Butler Institute of American Art in Trumbull County. The museum, which became independent in 2018, showcases contemporary exhibits and makes art accessible to the public for free.
Among the many experiences Katelyn cherishes is having worked with musician David Grohl to display his father’s art collection, which includes works by Henri Matisse, Alexander Calder, and Tetsuya Noda.
Another exciting exhibit is the museum’s display of 65 original Norman Rockwell paintings from the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) collection, she noted.
“This collection has been sitting in a vault in Texas, and this is the first time it is on display,” she said, adding that it includes works by Walt Disney.
Another of Katelyn’s favorite exhibits displayed the works of Carole Feuerman, internationally known for her hyperreal sculptures of swimmers. She met Carole at the Venice Biennale, and eventually commissioned her to make a sculpture, “Monumental Quan,” for the front lawn.
“We ended up having a solo exhibit of her work, which attracted 2,500 people. Meeting her and traveling to Brooklyn to see her studio was amazing. We made a TikTok [video] together, which garnered more than 18 million views. Since then, she has invited me to be a part of her board of directors.”
Katelyn also appreciated it when Robert Whitman, founder of the FBI’s art crime unit, visited the museum to lecture on art and crime.
“We worked together on a fundraiser, and since then, have become colleagues and friends, collaborating alongside private collectors. We even had the opportunity to work with the Alexander Calder Foundation.”
Katelyn did not set out to lead a museum, noting that she’d been teaching art for 12 years when she was asked to help install the Norman Rockwell exhibit.
“Shortly after it was installed, the museum was planning to put a $2 million expansion onto the building. When the founder of the museum had a stroke, he asked me to leave teaching to help manage the museum. It’s been a dream job ever since.”
Favorite aspects of her job include meeting well-known artists, traveling, having a flexible schedule, working with many organizations within the community, and continuing to be an educator while serving as director.
She is passionate about the arts and appreciates the ONU mentors and professors who believed in her and gave her direction.
“Being in Ada, Ohio, and attending Ohio Northern provided me with so much more than a big city or big school could. At ONU, I received one-on-one instruction, constructive criticism to make me the best educator I could be, and an open mind to make networking connections and believe that anything is possible!”