New Museum Director Comes Home to Ole Miss

Gardner, who earned both her undergraduate and master's degrees in art history at the University of Mississippi, was named director of the University Museum and Historic Houses following the retirement of former director Robert Saarnio.

For Gardner, coming back to Ole Miss is a homecoming.

"In school, I did an internship at what was then the Marie Buie Museum and there was a moment in the gallery where I was connecting people with art and I realized I wanted to work in art museums," she said. "Lo and behold, that became my career. But it started at Ole Miss."

Gardner, a Laurel native, went on to hold leading roles at several acclaimed museums. She was the Kathleen C. Sherrerd director for learning and engagement at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and was also director of learning innovation at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and director of the institute's Center for Empathy and the Visual Arts.

She has also been an international advocate for museums, both publishing works and giving presentations across the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands and other countries.

"So many of the pivotal moments in my life happened in Mississippi," she said. "I'm excited to bring all the experience I've gotten across the country and the world and bring it back to Ole Miss."

Throughout her career, Gardner has championed access and empathy in museums. She plans to continue that mission at the university.

"Museums are for people – both the students and faculty and staff and the community," she said. "And sometimes that means meeting people where they are.

"I want this to be a museum that people come to, but also a museum that goes out into the community."

Embracing the community is a key tenet to keeping museums relevant in an ever-changing world, she said.

"In the past, museums have been a place for the elite," she said. "I think if museums really want to not only survive but thrive, we have to be relevant and responsive to variety of different people from different backgrounds and experiences and bring in their perspectives and viewpoints."

Gardner said she hopes to strengthen partnerships across campus and find new ways for the museum to engage with students.

"Museums are places of learning," she said. "It's all about your curiosity and your imagination being piqued and especially on a college campus, museums can be great places to foster 21st century skills like communication, collaboration and critical and creative thinking."

She plans to work with faculty and staff to craft multidisciplinary courses, programs and exhibitions that will draw students to the museum and bring the museum to them.

"I love working with students and creating those experiences that help them grow and find their strengths," she said. "I'm really excited to help them figure out what they want to do with their lives and careers here, like I did."

Top: Many faculty members, including classics professor Aileen Ajootian (right), use collections at the University Museum to reinforce classroom learning. Karleen Gardner, the museum's new director, plans to strengthen partnerships across campus and find new ways for the museum to engage with students and the community. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services