When the Irene and Richard Frary Gallery opens at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in October, it will have a local arts heavyweight at the helm. Caitlin Berry, a respected curator and gallerist with deep roots in the D.C. art scene, has been appointed the inaugural director of the gallery.
The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center has a prime location on the former site of the Newseum on Pennsylvania Ave., in the heart of downtown and overlooking the Capitol building and National Mall. “You don’t get much closer to that aspect of Washington and also to the National Gallery and the Smithsonian Museums,” Berry says. “We intend to be very good neighbors and collaborate with all of our esteemed colleagues here on Pennsylvania Avenue.”
Berry cites Johns Hopkins University’s dedication to the arts as a part of what drew her to the role: “The more I found out about Johns Hopkins’ commitment to the arts writ large, the more I thought, ‘oh man, they’re really serious about this.’” The strong ties to the university and the gallery’s stated mission to operate at the intersection of art and democracy while fostering cultural dialogue are also key points of interest for Berry. The gallery’s first exhibit will open on Oct. 23, and will feature works from European avant-garde artists created between 1910 and 1941, a time when artists were hugely influenced by the politics and world events happening around them. “It really sets the tone for the future of exhibitions and programming and what is possible,” Berry says.
Prior to this appointment, Berry guided the opening of the Rubell Museum as the inaugural director. During her tenure, she made it a priority to highlight local artists in the collection and instituted programs like the “Style Sessions” series in partnership with the Washington Post, which featured guests such as Ava DuVernay and Mickalene Thomas. Berry has also previously served as director of the Cody Gallery at Marymount University, director of Hemphill Fine Arts, and operated her own independent art advisory. One of her many curatorial focuses and areas of expertise is the Washington Color School movement.
Berry brings all of this rich knowledge to her role at the Frary Gallery, and her commitment to the D.C. and Baltimore area will remain a priority. “Much of our future programming in terms of supplemental programming to go along with exhibitions and the exhibitions themselves will have the D.C. and Baltimore community and audience in mind every step of the way. I’m so excited to open our doors.”
The inaugural exhibition at the Irene and Richard Frary Gallery, Art and Graphic Design of the European Avant-Gardes, opens Oct. 23 at 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. washingtondc.jhu.edu.