- M.A., University of Utah
- B.A., The George Washington University
Fleming Museum of Art, School of the Arts, College of Arts and Sciences
BIO
As executive director, I come to work every day to contribute to an inclusive, uplifting, and inspirational environment. The Fleming is vital in illuminating all students' overall living and learning experiences at ̽̽. It's also one of the few places on campus that is free and open to the general public, acting as this wonderful gateway between campus and community. I love the intersections of art, museums, and higher education and our team's work to explore them.
In the day-to-day, I provide leadership and strategic vision for all the museum's operations. From overseeing exhibitions and collections planning, marketing, budgeting and finance, campus and community engagement, visitor services, fundraising, and donor stewardship, no two days or conversations are ever alike.
As a lifelong lover of visual art and museums, I have twenty-five years of experience working across various higher educational and nonprofit settings. Before joining the team here at ̽̽, I worked for many years at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts at the University of Utah to lead and facilitate organizational change, strategic planning, and innovative collaborative and inclusive museum practice. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and a Master of Arts in Organizational Communication, focusing my thesis on communication essentials for academic art museum leaders.
Awards and Achievements
- Northeastern Small College Art Museums Association, Executive Cohort 2023-present
- ̽̽ School of the Arts, Executive Committee 2022-present
- Western Museums Association Board of Directors, 2017-2022 (Vice President / Executive Committee 2020-2022)
- Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Initiative: Land Art, Landscape and the American West 2018-2022
- MASS Action (Museums as Sites for Social Action), 2018-present
- Museum Leadership Institute (formerly the Getty Leadership Institute), Claremont Graduate University, CA, 2015
- Utah Museums Association Board of Directors, 2010-2017 (President, 2014-2016)
Area(s) of expertise
Mission, Vision, and Strategic Planning, Inclusive and Collaborative Leadership, Fundraising and Development, Curatorial and Exhibitions Planning, Project and Budget Management, Campus and Community Engagement, Mentorship and Professional Development, Donor Stewardship
Bio
As executive director, I come to work every day to contribute to an inclusive, uplifting, and inspirational environment. The Fleming is vital in illuminating all students' overall living and learning experiences at ̽̽. It's also one of the few places on campus that is free and open to the general public, acting as this wonderful gateway between campus and community. I love the intersections of art, museums, and higher education and our team's work to explore them.
In the day-to-day, I provide leadership and strategic vision for all the museum's operations. From overseeing exhibitions and collections planning, marketing, budgeting and finance, campus and community engagement, visitor services, fundraising, and donor stewardship, no two days or conversations are ever alike.
As a lifelong lover of visual art and museums, I have twenty-five years of experience working across various higher educational and nonprofit settings. Before joining the team here at ̽̽, I worked for many years at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts at the University of Utah to lead and facilitate organizational change, strategic planning, and innovative collaborative and inclusive museum practice. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and a Master of Arts in Organizational Communication, focusing my thesis on communication essentials for academic art museum leaders.
Awards and Achievements
- Northeastern Small College Art Museums Association, Executive Cohort 2023-present
- ̽̽ School of the Arts, Executive Committee 2022-present
- Western Museums Association Board of Directors, 2017-2022 (Vice President / Executive Committee 2020-2022)
- Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Initiative: Land Art, Landscape and the American West 2018-2022
- MASS Action (Museums as Sites for Social Action), 2018-present
- Museum Leadership Institute (formerly the Getty Leadership Institute), Claremont Graduate University, CA, 2015
- Utah Museums Association Board of Directors, 2010-2017 (President, 2014-2016)
Areas of Expertise
Mission, Vision, and Strategic Planning, Inclusive and Collaborative Leadership, Fundraising and Development, Curatorial and Exhibitions Planning, Project and Budget Management, Campus and Community Engagement, Mentorship and Professional Development, Donor Stewardship
Sonja's Staff Pick
Sonja's Staff Picks
As an omnivorous art-lover, declaring a single work my “favorite” feels impossible to me. But lately I’ve been Valentin Serov’s absolutely delicious early 20th c. portrait of Ida Rubenstein. Pictured in profile and rendered in sweeping, gestural strokes of paint, chalk, and charcoal, she looks contemplative and ethereal and edgy all at the same time. Not to mention fashionable! I could just stare at this picture all day.
Valentin Serov (Russia, 1865-1911) Ida Rubinstein, c. 1910s. Watercolor, chalk, pencil, and charcoal on paper. Pauline Billings Taylor Collection. Gift of Carl Taylor 1991.71.37
Another favorite (and another portrait!) is Florine Stettheimer’s Portrait of Louis Bernheimer. Her paintings bowl me over with their flamboyant use of color, exaggerated proportions, and general euphoric mood. No matter how many times I walk by it, this picture never fails to induce a smile – it’s just lovely and a little cheeky, which I think is a winning combo!
Florine Stettheimer (United States, 1870-1944) Portrait of Louis Bernheimer, 1923. Oil on canvas, frame has wicker scallops around its edges. Gift from the Ettie Stettheimer estate 1958.14
Check out all our staff picks, highlighting works currently on view, by visiting each staff member's profile.