About

FIA Leadership

From the Executive Director

Dear FIA members,

As the newly named Executive Director of the Flint Institute of Arts, I wanted to personally reach out to introduce—or reintroduce—myself as I’m sure some of us have crossed paths during my 13 years as the FIA’s Curator of Collections and Exhibitions. I wanted our membership to be the first to know before we send out the press release later this week.

Our strong and engaged membership has long been one of the major strengths of the FIA, and I am looking forward to getting to know more of you as I move into this exciting role. This is truly your museum, and I am humbled and grateful to have the chance to serve alongside you.

For nearly 100 years, the FIA has been a jewel in the heart of the city of Flint and Cultural Center. Our exhibitions and special events attract visitors and artists from around the world. Our Art School and education outreach programs provide vital learning opportunities for thousands of students of all ages each year. I am thrilled to be able to continue working with our talented team to build on that foundation and create even more ways for people to meaningfully engage with the arts year-round.

My tenure as Curator of Collections and Exhibitions has been the most rewarding part of my 22-year museum career. During my time here, I have overseen more than 100 exhibitions and curated 40 exhibitions, working with the community on such exhibitions as Jerry Taliaferro’s Women of a New Tribe (2017) and Sons: Seeing the Modern African American Male (2022). I have also collaborated with other Michigan institutions for Common Ground: African American Art from the Flint Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, and Muskegon Museum of Art (2015–16) and with University of Michigan-Flint faculty on Self-Expression (2017).

I have also overseen 15 publications, contributing to the 50th-anniversary book Magnificence and Awe: Renaissance and Baroque Art in the Viola E. Bray Gallery (2011) among others.

My passion is for the collection, and I enjoy exploring the ways objects of various time periods and cultures can connect to people thematically—a subject I will explore in The Sheppy Dog Fund lecture “Beautiful Death” at 6 p.m. on July 20 in the FIA Theater. Please attend and introduce yourself if you’re free!

My predecessors in this role and the team that has supported them have created an astounding and thriving legacy. The FIA has grown to become the second largest art museum in Michigan, with a collection that includes nearly 10,000 works of art, and one of the largest museum art schools in the country. As we approach our centennial celebration in six years, I am motivated to work with the team here to find innovative ways to build on those successes.

Mostly I am excited to work with you, our members. I look forward to hearing from you about the reasons you share my passion about the FIA and its future, your ideas and feedback, and ways we can work together to create an FIA that is no longer a hidden gem but rather a well-known destination for art enthusiasts from all across the country.

I am looking forward to this opportunity to continue making the arts and arts education accessible to more people in our community and beyond in the years to come.

Thank you, and please feel free to reach out to me or find me in our galleries!

Tracee Glab

Executive Director

Tracee Glab is the Executive Director at the Flint Institute of Arts. She has overseen more than 100 exhibitions and curated 40 exhibitions, working with the community on such exhibitions as Jerry Taliaferro’s Women of a New Tribe (2017) and Sons: Seeing the Modern African American Male (2022). She has collaborated with other Michigan institutions for Common Ground: African American Art from the Flint Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, and Muskegon Museum of Art (2015–16) and with University of Michigan-Flint faculty on Self-Expression (2017). She has worked extensively with contemporary artists, both locally and internationally. Glab has also overseen fifteen publications, contributing to the 50th-anniversary book Magnificence and Awe: Renaissance and Baroque Art in the Viola E. Bray Gallery (2011) among others. Her interests include exploring the ways objects of various time periods and cultures can connect to people thematically, most recently culminating in a lecture on “Beautiful Death.” Prior to her role at the FIA, she worked for 10 years at the Detroit Institute of Arts across many departments, including curatorial, publications, and education. Glab has her MA in Art History from Wayne State University and BA in Art History from University of Michigan-Dearborn. Glab was also honored with two competitive travel grants to London and Oxford to conduct her master's thesis research on the 19th century British painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Email Tracee

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