Megan C. Austin

Biography

Megan C. Austin is the Director of Montclair State University Galleries. Austin brings experience in academic museums, having served as Director and Curator of the Barrett Art Gallery at Utica College and Associate Director of the Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College. In these roles, she developed educational opportunities and innovative programs by integrating the arts into the fabric of the institutions across a range of audiences, disciplines, and issues. Her curatorial work explores the interdisciplinary intersection of contemporary art and our sociopolitical landscape. Recent exhibitions include Layo Bright: Invasive Blooms (2025); Na’Ye Perez: Teaching to Transgress (2024); Ajamu Kojo: Black Wall Street: A Case for Reparations (2022); Impact! Works by Jon Bellona (2019); Graham Wilson: dam’ nāshen (2019); Mona Brody: The Whisper of Silence (2018); and Carbon Impermanence: Works by David Bonagurio (2018).

Austin received her MA in Museum Studies from Syracuse University and a BA in English from Utica College of Syracuse University. She has presented at the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, spearheaded Ashoka U Changemaker initiatives, and organized more than 100 exhibitions and programs throughout her career.

“I value the opportunity to create spaces of intellectual curiosity and to find new ways to bring the visual arts into greater, and often unexpected, dialogues across the University and beyond. Through the Galleries, I am committed to connecting artists and ideas with students, faculty, and the broader community while demonstrating the many ways contemporary art can contribute to teaching, learning, and meaningful exchange.”