Abigail Glogower, recently appointed curator and educator at the National Women’s Hall of Fame
The National Women’s Hall of Fame welcomes Abigail Glogower as Museum Curator and Educator. “We are delighted to have Abby join our Hall staff,” says Jeanne Giovannini, president of the Hall board. She adds: “Abby’s excellent educational credentials, relevant work experience, and enthusiasm for the mission of the National Women’s Hall of Fame—‘Showcasing Great Women – Inspiring All’—make her a perfect fit. Abby’s superb qualifications, says the search committee, are complemented well by her “unique story telling skills and in-depth knowledge of women’s history,” all crucial to “ensuring the Hall brings the voices and stories of women to our current and future guests, members, and visitors.” This is an “especially exciting time to come on board to the Hall,” notes Abby, seeing in her role avenues of growth for the National Women’s Hall of Fame as it prepares to move into the refurbished Seneca Knitting Mill in 2017.
Abby holds degrees from Oberlin College, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the University of Rochester, and is currently a doctoral candidate in visual and cultural studies at the University of Rochester. Her dissertation project explores ways that individual portraits were created, reproduced, circulated, and grouped together in order to cultivate notions of collective identity in the early United States.
In addition to her scholarship and knowledge of women’s history, Abby has a wealth of museum and education expertise. At the University of Rochester, Abby has taught college-level courses in writing and visual culture, and recently developed and led an object and document-based research class for high-school students called “Hands on History: Telling Stories with Stuff.” She has curated exhibits in the River Campus Library’s Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, and prior to her arrival in Rochester, she worked as an educator at the Mattress Factory Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and the National Veterans Art Museum. Abby is thrilled to bring her background in the arts, American history, and biography to the National Women’s Hall of Fame—particularly Voices of Great Women, the Hall’s oral history project, directed by board member and Hobart and William Smith Colleges professor Betty Bayer. “What a perfect opportunity,” says Abby, “to reflect upon what constitutes ‘greatness’ and ways to broaden the scope of the Hall’s mission. Women’s accomplishments and stories are an integral part of history and they therefore matter to everyone. I look forward to welcoming new and diverse audiences into our fold.”