Aiken Center for the Arts appoints education director and exhibitions coordinator

Aiken Center for the Arts has filled two new positions to assist with its mission to inspire and educate by providing unique visual and performing arts experiences for all ages.

Jillian Decker joins the organization as the Aiken Center for the Arts’ first education director. She will be responsible for comprehensive development and management of all education programs at including summer art camps, workshops and annual classes for all ages.

“With this new position we were looking for a candidate who had experience and knowledge of both the visual and performing arts as well as the enthusiasm and initiative to grow our education programs so they fully meet the needs of the community,” said Executive Director Elizabeth Williamson. “Jillian is just that person, and students will be impressed with her commitment to their opportunity for education in the arts.”

Decker earned her Master of Arts in Arts Education from The Ohio State University as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Pennsylvania State University. Her volunteer and work experience includes Bryce Jordan Center for Performing Arts, The Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus Museum of Art and teaching Creative Writing at The Ohio State University. An avid artist and musician, Decker also works as a freelance graphic designer and runs a small art business in her free time.

Mandy Drumming has been promoted to exhibitions coordinator. For the past year, Drumming has worked in the Gallery Store and has been responsible for the layout and installation of exhibitions. In her new role, Drumming will be the point of contact for artists from the beginning of the submission process to the removal of their exhibit. She will be a key person in the exhibition planning, curating and presentation of artworks in the Center’s five galleries.

Drumming earned her Masters of Arts in the History of Decorative Arts from the Smithsonian Associates/Corcoran College of Art + Design and her Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of South Carolina Aiken. While in graduate school, she studied exhibition design with Mark Leithauser, chief of design at the National Gallery of Art. In addition, Drumming interned with Brian Lang, former curator of decorative arts at the Columbia Museum of Art.

“Mandy has been an asset to the Aiken Center for the Arts and a pleasure to work with,” said Williamson. “At each gallery opening’s artist reception, I am overwhelmed with compliments from guests and artists regarding the layout of the exhibits, all of which can be attributed to Mandy’s keen eye for detail, color and design. I am very pleased to be able to promote Mandy to a position that makes full use of her talents. With Mandy as exhibitions coordinator artists can expect a pleasurable exhibition experience.”

About the Aiken Center for the Arts
The Aiken Center for the Arts is a 22,000 square foot facility in the heart of downtown Aiken with gallery space, classrooms, a performance space and a gift shop. Classes in the arts are taught by professional teaching artists and available year round for students of all ages. With five galleries featuring the exhibits of local, regional and national artists, rotating monthly, visual arts are a prominent part of the Center’s activities. The Aiken Center for the Arts also works with local and regional performing artists to present concerts and theatre performances in the Brown Pavilion. In addition, the Aiken Youth Orchestra performs two concerts each year.