This Wednesday, Fort Collins Museum of Art Executive Director Lisa Hatchadoorian, will give us a brief history, and share details of the museum’s current exhibit, the art of Nancy Judd.  The exhibit includes a glamorous dress made of crushed glass and salvaged upholstery fabric.  Programs Co-Chair Dave Stewart will introduce Hatchadoorian. 
Can a beautifully made garment also carry an environmental message? Artist Nancy Judd thinks so!  At first glance, her creations are stunning and dramatic, appearing as fine couture and refined garments. A closer look takes us deeper into her message. An elegant dress is constructed from drycleaner, grocery and newspaper plastic bags. Titled “The Jellyfish Dress”, it tells us to be mindful of marine life when discarding plastic as they can be fatal to sea creatures.  Why fashion? Judd loves the challenge of making cast-offs elegant and inspiring people to look differently at waste.
The Fort Collins Museum of Art was originally incorporated in 1983, and moved into its permanent home in the Old Post Office building in January 1991.  Built in 1911 for $89,000, the Old Post Office building is a three-story Second Renaissance Revival structure designed by James Knox Taylor, the US Treasury’s Supervising Architect. Described at the time as the “finest building in the city,” the Post Office building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a designated Fort Collins local landmark.
 
Hatchadoorian received a B.A. in Art History and Music from the University of Virginia and an MA in Curatorial Studies of Contemporary Art from Bard College. Her experience in arts administration, curating, public art projects and fundraising has ranged from the corporate to academic, municipal and non-profit venues. She has over a decade and a half of experience in curating, conceiving, and writing about contemporary art exhibitions and artists. She has been a visiting lecturer at Casper College, Casper, WY, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Fort Collins, and has taught art appreciation at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ.  Lisa was originally born and raised in Wilmington, DE and has lived in New York City, Charlottesville, VA, Wyoming, Illinois and Colorado. She and husband Steve Keim live in Fort Collins.