CU-Boulder Art Museum gets a fresh set of eyes

By Katrina Menchaca

This spring, the CU-Boulder Art Museum welcomed Sandra Firmin as the newest director, replacing Interim Director Stephen Martonis.

Originally from Colorado, Firmin first studied sociology as an undergraduate student at the University of Denver before switching her emphasis to fine arts.



“I loved hanging out with all the artists,” Firmin said as she smiled and leaned back in her office chair. “I felt that they just thought differently about life—how everything is an opportunity to be creative and transform life experience into something. I just loved the way they thought.”

Unfortunately, she soon realized that creating her own artwork was not a knack she possessed. Undeterred, she continued her B.F.A degree and later recognized, from a curatorial seminar class, that she could still involve herself within the art world that she loved without needing to pick up a brush.

After graduating from the University of Denver, Firmin received her M.A. at Bard’s College Center for Curatorial Studies in 2002 and was awarded the Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative Fellowship of Arcadia University shortly afterwards in 2003.

Since then, she has worked as curator at the University at Buffalo’s Art Gallery until leaving to pursue her newest challenge in Boulder this spring.

“I felt that I was ready to take on a directorship position,” said Firmin. “I found that with the exhibitions I organized, I was very happy and proud that we accomplished a lot at Buffalo, but I became more interested in the different components of the museum that worked together to further its mission.”

One of her proudest accomplishments at Buffalo was an exhibition she curated for as the 2010 ArtPark exhibition in Lewiston, N.Y.

Situated on a 200-state acre park, Earl W. Brydges ArtPark hosted an artist residency program in 1974, commissioning artists to exhibit temporary site-specific pieces in the summer months. However, due to state financial constraints, the program was left by the wayside in the mid-1980s.

In 2010, Firmin received funding to revive the exhibition for that year. As a tribute to the artists that partook in its early years, the theme of the new exhibition invited artists from ArtPark’s 1974 exhibition to re-imagine their original works within the context of 2010 and how they’ve changed or developed over time.

It’s not surprising to suggest that Firmin’s curatorial work mainly focuses on exhibitions with themes relating to environment, community and collaboration.

So when the opportunity arose to become the new CU Art Museum director, Firmin was excited to expand her work in regards to the cultural mindset that Boulder is known for in regards towards its cultural community, environmental awareness and expansive, research university.

The CU Art Museum itself is a multi-faceted institution on Boulder’s campus with progressive and contemporary programs harboring a global and community-based perspective. It interacts with its students and faculty as well as the surrounding Denver-Boulder community.

As of this spring, Firmin doesn’t have any plans to change the CU Art Museum yet, as she hopes to soak in and enjoy more of what Boulder has to offer. However, she hopes to expand more upon the museum and campus’s already established relationship in an effort to “bring the museum to the campus, rather than the campus to the museum.”

“I am really interested in creating more connections across campus and with different departments that span not just the art and art-history departments, but across a variety of fields,” said Firmin. “I think it’s natural to form a partnership between academic units and am appreciative of working in an academic environment. You have these immense creative, intellectual resources on campus that you can draw from and involve in interesting ways.”

She notes that her introduction to the CU Art Museum was warm and welcoming, and would like to return that gesture to students, faculty, the general public and every person who wishes to visit.

“I am interested in reaching out and creatively thinking about connections between artists and art organizations within the community, and even if you are not affiliated with any art organization, it doesn’t mean that we have nothing to say to each other; you’ll probably hear from me saying, ‘Hello!’”

Katrina Menchaca is a CU student majoring in studio arts and English.

June 24, 2014