About the Exhibition Curator
"Curatorial practice has always been a delicate dance between worlds where art, history, education, and community collide in the most beautiful ways." - Valerie Gillespie, PhD
"Working with the Beachum family, Ms. Kimball, and the Martin Museum has enabled an exploration of thematic values that continues to unlock the stories worth sharing. Narrative as Reality: Constructing an Identity provides viewers with variations of discovery. I found myself uncovering these narratives through this curation process with a sense of understanding of the importance of storytelling, and the power of knowledge. It has been not only a journey of self, through the research conducted over the past year, but a time for connectivity and relationship building with the Waco community. I am overjoyed about the opportunities and experiences this profound and monumental exhibition will create. The Jessica and Kelvin Beachum family collection possesses many treasures. When collections are shared with our society, greater understandings of our worldview are delightfully exposed. It has been an honor to witness the unfolding" - Dr. Valerie Gillespie
Valerie Gillespie is an independent curator based in Dallas. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of New England in Portland and curatorial practice from New York University. Her undergraduate degree is in Studio Art and Spanish from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia. During her years abroad in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, Valerie studied art and architecture. While completing her artist in residence program with Università Iuav di Venezia in Venice, Italy, she studied painting under the guidance of Maurizio Pellegrin.
Valerie currently is the Director of Fine Arts at the Winston School and owner of Pencil on Paper Gallery in Dallas. Some of her recent curatorial projects include exhibitions with the South Dallas Cultural Center, 500X Gallery, Southern Methodist University’s Hawn Gallery, The Other Art Fair Dallas, and the annual juried art exhibition for the Texas Visual Arts Association.