Allison Cicero Moore

Question 1: Tell me about yourself. Who are you?

I've had a non-traditional path through visual art, and art education. The short story is that I'm an artist and educator, and my background is in studio art - specifically, jewelry and metalwork. I've done all kinds of different, interesting things since graduating from Concordia: I've taught at a variety of colleges and universities, managed academic art galleries, directed a nonprofit art center, and I'm also a former museum art curator.  I’ve also taught summer camps and workshops at the local art museum, and served as an Artist-in-Residence at Richland Library and Stormwater Studios, which are both art hubs where I live in Columbia, South Carolina.

Question 2: What are you doing right now? How does your present work relate to art and art education?

A lot of people have the idea that a career is going to be a linear trajectory – that you'll go to school, and then maybe you'll pursue a graduate degree, and then you'll get a job, and hey presto, you’re all set, and that’s your career story. I don’t believe this actually happens! Instead, the narrative that should exist for anyone in visual art or the arts generally is that an education in art is a broad foundation to allow you to explore many different potential paths. 

I’m absolutely an example of this - my path has circuitous, to say the least. I am currently rebuilding my studio practice after working as a computer-bound administrator for a long time, and I am delighted to be working with jewelry again. I don't really know where it's going to take me, just exploring at the moment – which is a fun place to be.

Recently I started an Instagram account where I'm reviewing the museums I visit. I aim to make my posts engaging and approachable while sharing my professional expertise and passion for galleries, museums, and the like with others. [Instagram account: museum_reviewer]

Question 3: How did Concordia’s ARTE program prepare you for what you are presently doing?

I remain so grateful for the professors who worked with me to help focus my ideas, and who supported my interests. Perhaps I should say writing my thesis has been the most important part of my time in the program - and in some ways, it was -  but I also feel that I gained the most preparation for my career through the assistantships I held. 

Specifically, I served as a research assistant for a project led by Dr. Kathleen Vaughan, that involved a special event at the Musee des Beaux-Arts during Nuit Blanche. That project was something completely different to my prior experiences in not just art education, but visual art more generally. It changed my perspective of what museums can, and should, do for their visitors and wider community.

In addition to the coursework - moving to Montreal was a major life change for me!  I’m from the U.S., so having the opportunity to live in, explore, and negotiate life in a city with such a different culture than where I grew up was particularly formative. Then, getting to know all my Art Ed classmates - whom I never would’ve met otherwise - and exploring such a vibrant city with my new friends? It was the best. My time in the program and the city more broadly made me a much more adventurous person and confident professional. 

Question 4: Describe one of your positive formative experiences while you were in the program at Concordia.

I don't have one sole experience to describe, but everything all together opened my eyes to the idea that within Art Ed, there are so many different paths you can take – if you are willing to do the work.

Having the ability to work with likeminded peers and build relationships was my favorite part of the program. From assistantships where there were several of us working in tandem, to the graduate student symposium we organized, we became good friends through it all. Then, on a personal level it was incredible to be in Montreal, a city where the arts are embraced wholeheartedly in the culture – one of the few cities in the world like this. 

Putting this all together, the best outcome of my time in the program is that Concordia’s Art Ed program allowed me to continue building a broad foundation in visual art. Ever since, I’ve continued using all the bits and pieces of what I learned to help further my career.