Lybi Cucurullo, a conceptual artist and former Brenau professor, has been appointed as the new Director of Galleries.

In her new role, Cucurullo will be responsible for overseeing Brenau's five exhibition spaces and the university's extensive collection of over 3,500 works from both internationally and nationally renowned artists, as well as local talent. These galleries play a vital role in serving as both an educational and cultural resource for Northeast Georgia through providing free public programming and exhibitions.

"I taught at Brenau as an adjunct last year and formed a great connection with my students," Cucurullo. "I'm excited to expand the opportunities the galleries here have to offer, both to our student body and to the local community. We have so many amazing shows and exhibitions coming up and I can't wait to connect students with local artists."

Cucurullo's prior experience as an educator in higher education and public-school systems will be instrumental in providing engaging and informative programming alongside exhibitions. Her dedication to community outreach, with a focus on the arts and education, will play a vital role in supporting the ongoing growth of Gainesville's vibrant artistic community.

Cucurullo earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Central Florida in 2011 and her Masters of Fine Arts from CUNY Brooklyn College in 2019. She was awarded the Wolff Ravenal grant for research in Utah while studying at CUNY, and was an artist in residence at the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild in Woodstock, New York, after graduating and again in 2024. She was also the artist in residence at A.I.R. Studio in Paducah, Kentucky, in the winter of 2020 and 2022. Her artistic contributions have been showcased nationwide, particularly in New York, throughout the Hudson Valley, and across Georgia.

Her conceptual art is centered around exploring the concepts of cycles in nature. Through abstracted, natural imagery, Cucurullo aims to convey the relationship and balance between what is constant and what is unpredictable.

"Abstracted landscapes provide a comfort in recognition, while simultaneously stirring up discomfort in that which cannot be recognized or understood," Cucurullo said in her artist statement. "My work strives to invite viewers to enter a liminal space, to oscillate between knowing and unknowing, and to recognize that we are intrinsically a part of the ebb and flow of nature - and that in that knowing - there is comfort."

Brenau University's permanent art collection was established in 1986, and it currently includes three gallery spaces on Brenau's Gainesville campus: the Presidents Gallery, Sellars Gallery in the Simmons Visual Arts Center, and Leo Castelli Gallery in the John S. Burd Center for Performing Arts. Additionally, there are two galleries located on the Downtown Campus: the Manhattan Gallery in the Brenau Downtown Center and the gallery on the Gainesville Renaissance first floor.

Throughout the year, the galleries host multiple exhibits that are open to the public, including a recent display of over 60 print works created by Pablo Picasso at the Sellars Gallery during October and November.

For more detailed information, please visit the Brenau Galleries website and follow Brenau Galleries on Facebook to stay informed about upcoming events.

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Brenau alumna shares life experiences as this fall's GOLD speaker