Ruby City announces appointment of Director Elyse A. Gonzales
Ruby City is pleased to announce the appointment of its new Director, Elyse A. Gonzales. Gonzales joins the newly-opened contemporary art center from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)'s Art, Design & Architecture Museum, where she served as Curator of Exhibitions, Assistant Director and most recently as Acting Director.
“I am honored to be a part of Ruby City, and to help drive forward Linda’s mission of a world-class contemporary art center in her hometown of San Antonio, Texas,” Gonzales says. “This collection—every piece of which represents a part of Linda herself—is unparalleled, and I am eager to work with the staff and trustees to ensure that her knowledge, curiosity, and humor continue to be shared both locally and globally.”
“With more than 20 years of experience in the art world, Elyse is a proven leader who will bring a strong vision to this new chapter in Ruby City’s history,”
– Kathryn Kanjo, Linda Pace Foundation President
During her time at UCSB's Art, Design & Architecture Museum, Gonzales was responsible for analyzing, defining and implementing the institution’s mission and creative vision. She developed and executed a roster of exhibitions and educational programs and furthered the Museum's partnerships on both a local and national level.
As a curator, Gonzales has organized more 35 solo, group and collection-based exhibitions with artists including Catherine Opie, Shana Lutker, Anna Sew Hoy and Brenna Youngblood. In 2013, she curated The Stumbling Present, an international group exhibition that examined the prevalence of ruin imagery in early 21st-century art and popular culture.
Gonzales also served as Assistant Curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania and as Special Projects Assistant at Williams College Museum of Art. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New Mexico and a Master of Arts from William College Graduate Program in the History of Art. She is a fellow of the Center for Curatorial Leadership.
