Amanda Forrester / news@whmi.com

Cleary University's Arthur Secunda Museum now has a curator.

“Suzanne has an impressive background in curation,” Cleary President Alan Drimmer said. “She has worked with prominent institutions including the Michigan History Museum in Lansing, The Henry Ford in Dearborn, the Oakland Museum of California and many other museums across the country as a consultant.”

Fischer also serves as an assistant professor of Museum Studies at Michigan State University, where she co-develops art exhibits with students at the university’s museum. Prior to joining Cleary, Fischer worked as the Museum Director of the Michigan History Center and held several curatorial positions at both The Henry Ford and the Oakland Museum of California.

She received a BA in Biology and Comparative Literature from Oberlin College and a PhD in History of Science and Technology from the University of Minnesota.

“This is a historic moment for Cleary to welcome a full-time curator for the Arthur Secunda collection on our campus.”

The university holds the world’s largest collection of Secunda’s artwork. The Secunda Museum is also the largest collection of art in Livingston County.

As curator, Fischer will preserve, maintain and share the collection. She will also organize exhibitions, guided tours and community outreach programs to allow the public to see the collection, along with developing and maintaining relationships with other museums and institutions.

“I’m excited to bring my museum expertise to Cleary University and the Arthur Secunda Museum,” Fischer said. “I’m looking forward to raising awareness of this great artist and institution, taking care of the collections and connecting with local communities interested in learning about, and making art. The Arthur Secunda Museum is a hidden gem with a national importance – so much importance that the federal government awarded Cleary a major competitive grant to preserve, restore and enhance the collection.”

The university was awarded a “Save America’s Treasures” grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The grant enabled Cleary to hire a curator.

Cleary also announced that they have been working with the University of Michigan Museum Studies program on a capstone project that focuses on “advancing collection stewardship at the Arthur Secunda Museum. Museum studies’ students will begin visiting the Arthur Secunda Museum this year under the guidance of Dr. Fischer to assess the Secunda collection, clarify its mission and recommend best practices for cataloging, storage design and collections management systems for small museums.”

Students, local organizations, schools and small groups can schedule a guided tour by contacting Director of Marketing Brett Rogers at brogers@cleary.edu

(photo credit: Cleary University)