News & Media

New Director

Ohio Wesleyan Selects Diana Y. Chou, Ph.D., to Lead University’s Richard M. Ross Art Museum

DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University today announced the appointment of Diana Y. Chou, Ph.D., as director of OWU’s Richard M. Ross Art Museum. Chou brings more than 15 years of museum and gallery expertise as well as university teaching experience to the role.

At Ohio Wesleyan, Chou’s primary duties will include:

• Shaping the artistic mission and strategic direction of the Ross Art Museum.
• Implementing and curating the museum’s exhibition and programming schedule.
• Engaging OWU faculty, staff, and students with relevant, interdisciplinary exhibitions and programs that integrate the museum throughout the university.
• Developing and implementing strategic initiatives that integrate with the OWU Connection. The university’s signature program, the OWU Connection ensures every student graduates with hands-on experience and a global perspective.

Chou will begin her new role Aug. 3 and report jointly to Megan Ellis, M.Ed., executive director of the OWU Connection, and David Markwardt, Ph.D., associate dean of the OWU Connection.

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Diana Chou to Ohio Wesleyan,” said Ellis, a 2005 OWU graduate. “She is an accomplished art curator and educator with expertise in art history, exhibition curating, fine art, art acquisition, collection assessment, scholarly research, and other skills that will benefit the Richard M. Ross Art Museum and enhance its considerable reputation and prestige in the art world.”

Chou’s museum and gallery experience includes:

• Consulting curator at the University of Maryland Global Campus.
• Consulting curator for the Yin Yu Tang House at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.
• Art curator at the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum. California.
• Associate curator at The San Diego Museum of Art, California.
• Guest curator at The Dayton Art Institute, Ohio.
• Collection and exhibition contents researcher at Center for the World Religions, Harvard University.
• Assistant curator at the National Museum of History in Taipei City, Taiwan.

Her teaching experience includes work at Boston University, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland State University, John Carroll University, and the University of California San Diego.

Chou holds a doctorate in Art History from the University of Kansas, a Master of Arts in Art History from Northern Illinois University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Western Languages and Literature from Providence University in Taiwan.

She is the author of the book, “A Study and Translation from the Chinese of Tang Hou’s Huajian (Examination of Painting): Cultivating Taste in Yuan China, 1279-1368” and a former editorial reviewer for The Museum Scholar. Her professional affiliations include the California Association of Museums, American Alliance of Museums, Japanese Art Society of America, and Association of Art Museum Curators.

Chou said she looks forward to joining Ohio Wesleyan and directing operations at the Ross Art Museum.

“It is my delight and privilege to embark on a new chapter as director of Richard M. Ross Art Museum at Ohio Wesleyan University, an academically reputable liberal arts university with a beautiful campus,” Chou said. “I am touched by the warm welcomes from the search committee and the community, and I look forward to engaging with OWU faculty, staff, and students, and its greater community. It is also my hope that the Ross will serve as a focal point to foster artistic and intellectual dialogues and collaborations with members of the OWU community and beyond.”

Ohio Wesleyan’s Richard M. Ross Museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware, opened in fall 2002 and features 2,986 square feet of exhibition space in four galleries, as well as offices and preparatory and storage spaces. Its permanent collection includes more than 2,500 works by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Frank Stella, and Alfred Stieglitz. The Ross is part of OWU’s Division of Academic Affairs, which is committed to supporting the most exemplary teaching, learning, and research possible.

During the academic year, the Ross is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed Monday and Saturday. The facility is handicap-accessible and admission is always free. Learn more at owu.edu/ross or www.facebook.com/RossArtMuseum. Follow the Ross on Instagram at owu_rossartmuseum.

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Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives” and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “Best Colleges” lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.