The University of Northern Iowa Gallery of Art is thrilled to welcome alum Laura Gleissner as its new director.

“We are so excited to have Laura working with us,” said Elizabeth Sutton, head of the UNI Department of Art. “She has a wide range of abilities, including studio teaching and videography. She will bring a lot of energy to art classes and to the Gallery of Art programming.”

A 2009 graduate, Gleissner earned a Bachelor of Arts in studio art from UNI, as well as a Master of Fine Arts in painting from Northern Illinois University. She is a native of Waverly, Iowa.

Before returning to the Panther family, Gleissner served for eight years as gallery director of the Bing-Davis Memorial Gallery and as associate professor of art at Upper Iowa University in Fayette. Gleissner has lived and worked in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Japan and Italy and enjoys leading art-intensive national and international programing for students, faculty, staff, and community members.

“I am so excited to be joining the UNI Department of Art,” Gleissner said. “I have a passion for organizing and providing experiential art programing for students and the community and am committed to crafting active learning environments, fostering the understanding of historical and cultural foundations and providing unique opportunities for students to learn collaboratively while working together in the community.”

After serving as gallery director for nearly 20 years, Darrell Taylor will retire at the end of this month. Taylor’s positive impact on the gallery and the department can be seen through all that he’s brought to the position.

"I have so much respect for Darrell Taylor and the work he has accomplished. Darrell transformed the gallery into a space where students felt welcome to learn and exhibit, and community members were excited to know what show to see next,” Sutton said. “He was instrumental in the formation of the Friends of the Permanent Art Collection and Gallery and Museum Studies certificate. Darrell has a passion for art, and his ability to see how art and people complement each other has led to growth of the collection and the gallery. We will miss him!”

Taylor expressed gratitude for his time at the gallery and is looking forward to the next chapter.

"It has been the honor of a lifetime to have represented the Gallery of Art and the ever-expanding collection here at UNI,” he said.” I have great memories of working with students, faculty, guest artists and art lovers in the community in order to bring excellent programming to campus. I feel such gratitude and pride in our accomplishments and look forward to watching what comes next."

For more information on the UNI Gallery of Art, or to learn about upcoming events and exhibitions, visit the Gallery’s website.