Credit: Travis Fullerton
Suzanne Hall is part of the team that helped launch the VMFA's Chihuly exhibit.
Suzanne Hall's early interest in fine arts brought her from North Carolina to Richmond, where she earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts and a master's in communication at Virginia Commonwealth University. Hall, 59, built a career in cultural communications and marketing. She's been at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for 25 years. Her husband, Joe Willis, is "pure Virginian." They have four grown children.
"Chihuly at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts" opened Saturday. What's it like getting ready to launch such a high-profile exhibit?
It's like drinking through the fire hose! VMFA has been very fortunate to have the dynamic and visionary leadership of Alex Nyerges as the director. The VMFA team has masterfully created a portfolio of exhibitions with broad appeal as well as more academic, to engage the widest possible audiences.
The Chihuly exhibition was carefully organized and beautifully orchestrated by a team of professionals from Seattle and at VMFA. The VMFA team met regularly and had many conference calls with Team Chihuly. Not only did we manage all the details that go with an exhibition of this stature, we are poised to roll out a surprise very soon.
How involved was Dale Chihuly in designing and launching the exhibit? What's the role of the chief communications officer in the process?
Dale Chihuly's operation is made of many impressive, hard-working professionals. The director and deputy director have visited Seattle several times, and Dale and his team visited VMFA in April 2011 to see our facility.
I had the opportunity to take a group of media to Seattle this summer to experience the Chihuly operations firsthand. We spent half a day in his hot shop, which is located in a building called The Boathouse and is, in fact, a building on Lake Union in which racing shells were once made. We also visited his facility where they store, assemble and ship all of his amazing artwork. That facility is also home to all of the other Chihuly operations, including merchandising, graphic design, social media and brand management.
My job is to manage all the communications, working closely with regional and national/international media as well as social media for VMFA. For Chihuly, we have a robust social media plan, which includes Facebook, a blog, and a small army of highly influential and active tweeters.
What are your artistic interests and hobbies?
I majored in textiles in art school but also painted a lot. When I graduated, I was hired as the resident weaver at the Valentine Museum, later promoted to the director of the National Textile Resource and Research Center. I wanted to be a conservator until I realized it was not a profession that suited my personality.
My most passionate interest is mission work. I have been to Rwanda, southern Sudan and Honduras, and this summer led a group to Richmond Hill to assist in staffing a summer camp for Richmond's inner-city children. I serve on the World Mission Board for the Diocese of Virginia.
And I love to read and garden.
What's something that people don't know about you?
I'm an advocate for farmers marketing and local, sustainable food. I belong to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture group) and have a herd share for fresh, unpasteurized milk.
What role should an art museum play in a vibrant metropolitan area?
An art museum is the hub of a creative city. It's where you come to see more clearly, to understand how to communicate, to quietly witness the visual language of artists throughout history. At a museum you can see what is important to a culture and should be treasured and protected for posterity.
Cheryl Magazine
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