Hannah Dewhirst named inaugural Gray Design Building Gallery Director
Hannah Dewhirst. Photo by Dan Livingston.
Hannah Dewhirst (MArch Architecture 2017) has been appointed the inaugural gallery director of the Gray Design Building Gallery at the University of Kentucky College of Design, a new leadership role guiding the development of the space as a center for exhibitions, research, and public engagement.
Dewhirst, an assistant professor in the School of Interiors, will lead the gallery as both a curatorial and educational platform, connecting student learning, faculty research, and the broader creative community. The role includes organizing four to five exhibitions annually, integrating exhibition work into coursework, and creating opportunities for student involvement through hands-on roles in gallery operations.
Her appointment is part of a broader initiative to expand the university’s arts ecosystem, with an emphasis on collaboration across disciplines and engagement with the Lexington community through partnerships and public programming.
Dewhirst’s curatorial approach positions exhibition-making as a form of inquiry, with a focus on experimentation and dialogue across media and disciplines. Her first exhibition in the new role, IN:SPACE | Practice in Motion, opens this month, bringing together artists and students to explore space as a dynamic, sensory environment.
In addition to her education and curatorial work she maintains a collaborative practice, SUBSTUDIO, with fellow Academy Architecture alumna Ingrid Schmidt (MArch Architecture 2016).
Learn more:
Dewhirst named inaugural Gray Design Building Gallery Director – University of Kentucky
IN:SPACE | Practice in Motion – University of Kentucky
Architecture at Cranbrook Academy of Art
