Sarah Boyd Alvarez has joined the Newberry Library as Director of Exhibitions. A museum educator and administrator for more than twenty years, Boyd Alvarez has developed, facilitated, and evaluated programs and learning resources for a range of audiences, including K-12 and college-level students and educators, adults, and families.
Most recently, as Senior Fellow for Public Art History at Smarthistory, a non-profit, open-source publisher of art history webinars and essays for teaching and learning, Boyd Alvarez focused on exploring the complex histories and narratives surrounding works of art and visual culture from around the world.
Prior to her work with Smarthistory, Boyd Alvarez held multiple roles in the department of Learning and Public Engagement at the Art Institute of Chicago, including Assistant Director of Communications, Assistant Director for Adult Programs, and Senior Director for Students and Educators. In this last role, she led a highly collaborative process to revamp the museum's offerings for K-12 learners.
Boyd Alvarez also created the Terra Foundation American Sources program, a year-long teacher training course that engaged middle and high school humanities educators with a methodology for primary source analysis using works of art.
Boyd Alvarez holds a BA in art history from Skidmore College and an MA in art history from Rutgers University.