Association of Academic Museums and Galleries

Albright College appoints Alana J. Coates as Freedman Gallery Curator

Reading, PA –Alana J. Coates has been appointed Curator of Collections and Exhibitions of Albright College’s Freedman Gallery. Beginning her new role on Sept. 12, Coates will shape and oversee the gallery’s exhibitions and care for its collection.

“For more than four decades, the Freedman Gallery has been nationally acclaimed for carrying out its mission,” said David M. Tanner, director of Albright’s Center for the Arts. “We are excited that Ms. Coates shares our vision to continue enhancing the quality of our contemporary American art programs, exhibitions and collections.”

With more than 15 years in the field, Coates has held curatorial and leadership roles in galleries across the country. For the past five years, she served as the associate director of Ruiz-Healy Art in San Antonio, Texas, dealing in post-war and contemporary works of art, and working with an international roster of artists focusing on Latin American and borderland discourse.

Coates studied art history as well as nonprofit administration and leadership at the University of Texas at San Antonio, museum studies at Harvard Extension School, and art history and fine art at the University of Rhode Island.

“Ms. Coates’ knowledge and experience will be a great asset to our learning community at Albright, and her skill in engaging and welcoming the community-at-large will help us reach and sustain audiences,” said Tanner.

Founded in 1856, Albright College educates creative, curious students to become adaptable, global citizens who discover and reach their full potential. The College’s flexible interdisciplinary curriculum encourages students to combine majors and disciplines to create individualized academic programs. Close faculty mentorship, numerous experiential learning options, and a diverse, supportive and nurturing community of scholars and learners help students exceed their own expectations and graduate with a commitment to a lifetime of service and learning. Located in Reading, Pennsylvania, Albright enrolls more than 1,800 full-time undergraduates and 700 adult learners and graduate students.