LU welcomes Megan Young, new director of the Dishman Art Museum

Beaumont, Texas – The new director of Lamar University’s Dishman Art Museum looks to achieve a higher level of greatness for the venue.

“I am excited about the potential for the Dishman to be more utilized as a teaching and learning resource to the Lamar and Southeast Texas community across different disciplines,” said Megan Young, assistant professor of art history, who assumed duties this fall. 

A native of Gulf Shores, Ala., Young is a doctoral candidate at the University of Kansas, and has a Master of Arts in art history and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography and graphic design from the University of Alabama. 

Before accepting the position at Lamar, she was the Mellon Foundation/Loo Family curatorial intern in European and American painting, sculpture and decorative arts at the Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas.

“I consider myself an equal-opportunity art historian,” said Young. Her dissertation, “After the Deluge: Contemporary Artists Engage Katrina,” examines instances of contemporary art that investigate the ramifications of this catastrophic event in various ways.  Young is particularly interested in the way visual interpretations of trauma can create or recreate collective or cultural identity in the wake of catastrophe. 

“I look at art as catharsis for the viewer and the maker. Art resolidifies a community after a trauma, and can shape our understanding of that trauma,” said Young. 

Serving as a teaching facility, the Dishman Art Museum presents a wide variety of exhibitions from one-person shows to group installations.

 “We’re very pleased to have Megan as our new director on board and providing leadership for the Dishman for the future,” said Russ Schultz, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and initiative to the position, which is greatly needed for the academic and community needs we serve.”

Young moved to Beaumont with her husband Michael, young daughter Audrey Jane, and three dogs and two cats.