The Hartford Art School is excited to have Adam Chau join the University in the role of Edith Dale Monson Gallery director/curator. He began his appointment in early September.
Adam Chau is a curator, researcher, and grant administrator working in art, craft, and design. He holds a Masters of Design from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and recently finished a four-year tenure at ArtsWestchester, New York state's largest independent arts council, as Director of Exhibitions. There he led the on-site exhibitions program, county-wide Public Art initiatives, and in 2022, spearheaded a $150k NEA regrant program supporting socially-engaged art across seven Hudson Valley counties—funding projects that ranged from documentaries to art workshops and exhibitions.
Dedicated to both the preservation and cutting-edge advancement of craft, he has lectured internationally on digital manufacturing and AI in the creative sector. His writing has appeared in many journals, including the essay, "Our Obsession with Reality," in The Studio Potter, which positions AI in the canon of collage. In 2017, Chau curated a nationally touring exhibit, Reinvented, featuring 13 artists who utilize digital technology, reaching five venues over two years.
In 2018, Chau helped reorganize The Color Network, an organization that advocates for artists of color, where he developed an international Mentorship program and received multiple NEA grants for artist residencies and exhibitions to support the Mentorship cohort. He also founded The Lunar Project, which brings together artists from the Asian diaspora by commissioning artworks, performances, and craft-based activities. Highlighting more than 60 artists in five years, The Lunar Project continues to travel and grow nationally.
He is currently on the Board of Directors for the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), shaping programs for an annual conference of more than six thousand attendees. Chau is also a member of the International Academy of Ceramics, a UNESCO partner, and was a keynote speaker in 2021 with his talk, "Undustrial Design."