Munch and Learn: Behind the Scenes-Curating the Expanded African Art Gallery at the Art Museum of the U of M

Adriana Dunn is originally from Connecticut, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and minors in History and Archaeology. She worked as a contract archaeologist for two years in the state of Connecticut, and as a seasonal excavator in Dubai and North Macedonia. Adriana moved to Memphis in 2017 and got her Masters degree at the University of Memphis in General Art History, as well as a Museum Studies Certificate.

Shortly after graduating with her Masters, Adriana became the museum curator at the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center. During this time, she developed educational programs for the general public and school groups, established of a virtual museum internship program for graduate students to participate in for college credit, created the museum’s first digital collections database, and developed and installed new exhibitions. Adriana has three publications pertaining to the development of virtual internships: one article published by the American Alliance of Museums, another article by the American Association for State and Local History’s History News, and seen in a co-authored chapter titled “Perspectives on Virtual Internship from a Collegiate Museum Practices Program, Host Museum, and Postgraduates” in Museum Studies for a Post-Pandemic World: A Case Study Approach.

In 2022, Adriana joined the staff at the Art Museum of the University of Memphis (AMUM) as its assistant director. In this role she is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the museum’s daily operations, exhibitions, educational programming, and public outreach. She also manages the museum’s collection, which includes refining and expanding information in the museum’s collection database in preparation for online teaching and general public access, storage and care, preparation for exhibits, loans, transportation, insurance, and conservation. Since the spring term of 2023, she has taught museum studies courses for graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Memphis in support of its Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies. Additionally, she supports the College of Communication and Fine Arts as a member of its Technology Committee, Research and Community Outreach Committee, and as a collaborator for the Institute of Arts and Health’s Museum Accessibility Project. From the summer of 2024 until its opening in March of 2025, she oversaw the renovation and expansion of AMUM’s African Art Gallery titled “Windows on Africa.” She worked closely with guest curator/African specialist Simeneh Gebremariam to design and curate this new and larger exhibition.

Adriana has a strong passion for the arts, teaching museum studies and practices, developing museum exhibitions, and creating innovative, impactful, and accessible museum education and outreach programs.

- - - - - 

Wednesdays can be especially busy at Park and Cherry. If you're attending Munch and Learn, please plan ahead and place your lunch orders early. To reduce disruptions during the lecture, guests are asked to bring their own food from the cafe to the auditorium. You may request to-go containers to make the trip to your seat easier. Pre-order by calling (901) 312-1277.

MUNCH AND LEARN IS ENDOWED BY THE LANDAU FAMILY IN MEMORY OF LESLIE MANN LANDAU