Curator of Art Adam Justice Announces Departure

The Polk Museum of Art announced Monday that Adam Justice has officially resigned from his position as curator of art, effective July 31.

The Board of Directors will conduct a national search in the fall to fill the position.

Justice recently accepted the position of assistant curator of modern and contemporary art at the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, NC. He will begin there Aug. 15.

He has been the curator of art at the Polk Museum of Art since Jan. 4, 2010. During his tenure he curated and oversaw the installation of more than 80 exhibitions and worked with numerous contemporary artists and arts institutions throughout the country. He built strong relationships with regional artists as well as art collectors throughout Florida, and facilitated several important acquisitions for the permanent collection, including works by Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst and Iva Gueorguieva. Along with artist Trent Manning, Justice also served as co-curator and resident artist at Winter Haven’s Outer Space gallery.

Although his departure advances his professional career at the Mint Museum of Art, Justice is also weighing the personal implications of relocating. He will be closer to his wife, Elyse, who is pursuing a doctorate degree at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and their 11 month-old daughter, Livia Rey. 

Justice leaves this position feeling as though the museum has “upped its game” in the contemporary art world, he said. It has developed an identity as a museum that fills a gap for emerging artists who have gained some notoriety in the gallery circuit, but have no foothold in the museum world. He and Executive Director Claire Orologas also opened the museum to exhibitions of artists from the immediate community.

“Adam has been a wonderful colleague who will be sorely missed by all of us,” Orologas said. “His contributions have been significant and will have a lasting impact.”

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