About Us

Fall 2026

Dear Friends,

As we begin a new academic year, I am delighted to welcome our students, members, neighbors, and friends back to the Hofstra University Museum of Art for an exciting season of exhibitions and programs.

This past year has been one of tremendous growth for the Museum. We have welcomed new visitors, expanded our outreach, strengthened our membership, and created new opportunities to connect Hofstra students and our broader community through art. We are grateful to everyone who has participated, visited, joined, and supported us along the way.

As Long Island’s only nationally accredited, public-facing academic art museum, we recognize both the distinction and the responsibility that comes with our role. Accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), an achievement earned by only a small percentage of museums nationwide, reflects our commitment to professional standards, responsible stewardship, and quality service to the public.

That responsibility is particularly meaningful at a time when access to trustworthy information matters deeply. Research commissioned by AAM has found that nearly nine out of ten Americans consider museums trustworthy. In the AAM and Wilkening Consulting Museums and Trust 2021 study, museums continued to rank among the nation’s most trusted institutions. Among people who had recently visited a museum, museums ranked as their number-one trusted source of information. Respondents attributed that trust to museums being fact-based, research-oriented, and places where people encounter authentic objects.

We take that trust seriously. It informs how we research and develop our exhibitions, care for our collection, create educational programs, and engage with the ideas and issues that shape our world. Our students and community remain central to that work, as does our extraordinary permanent collection of more than 5,300 works of art and cultural objects, spanning from 1500 BCE to the present.

This fall, we invite you to experience Deconstructing Venus, on view September 8 through December 11 in the Emily Lowe Gallery. Featuring art by women of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Lee Krasner, Käthe Kollwitz, Elizabeth Catlett, Marisol, Lori Horowitz, Dee Shapiro, and featured contemporary artist Susan Grabel. The exhibition considers how women artists have challenged, embraced, and reimagined longstanding ideas of womanhood.

The exhibition comes alive through a season of programming designed to foster conversation, creativity, learning, and connection. Join us for our September 24 opening reception; Women, Art, and Activism, an October 22 panel bringing together artists, scholars, and student voices; Speak Up! The Art of Civic Engagement on October 28; and our new Muse – After Hours experiences, including Introduction to Mah Jongg and Introduction to Crochet. We also continue to expand access through programs such as Mindful Moment Mondays for people living with dementia and their care partners, as well as special behind-the-scenes collection tours.

And there is much more ahead.

In spring 2027, Between the Lines: Artists & Writers will explore the fascinating intersection of visual and written expression and the ways artists and writers have inspired one another and shaped culture across generations. Drawing upon works from the Museum’s permanent collection alongside materials from Hofstra Library’s Special Collections, the exhibition will celebrate storytelling, collaboration, and the important role museums and libraries play in preserving our shared cultural heritage.

As we look toward the Museum’s 65th anniversary in 2028, we do so with optimism about what comes next. We will continue to build upon our collection, deepen our connection with students, broaden our community partnerships, and create meaningful opportunities for people to gather, learn, question, create, and experience authentic works of art together.

Thank you for being part of our growing Museum community. I hope you will join us this fall and throughout the coming year. The Museum is here for you, and we look forward to welcoming you.

Warmly,

Sasha Giordano
Director
Hofstra University Museum of Art

Jackie Geis is the Senior Assistant to the Director of the Hofstra University Museum of Art. Prior to joining the Museum, she spent 3 years as the department administrator for Global Studies and Geography in the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Jackie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, along with a minor in Sociology, from Moravian College and a Certificate in Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management from Hofstra University. She has worked in a variety of industries including banking, cosmetics, healthcare and non-profits, acquiring experience in IT asset management, consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketing, web content, social media and event management.

Amy Garay Solomon is the Director of Education at the Hofstra University Museum of Art. She develops and oversees programs for P-12 students and varied community groups. Prior to becoming Director, Amy was a museum educator at Hofstra University Museum of Art. Amy taught middle school socials studies in Brooklyn, NY at an arts-based public school, where she also mentored student teachers. She taught as an adjunct professor of social studies education at New York University. Amy has a B.A. in International Affairs, with a minor in Art History from The George Washington University, and an M.A. in Secondary Social Studies education from New York University. She holds a New York State professional certificate in teaching social studies 5-12 and gifted and talented education 5-12.

Alexandra Sasha Giordano is an art historian and dedicated educator with experience in curatorial leadership and museum administration. Prior to her appointment as Director at the Hofstra University Museum of Art, she held several key positions at the Museum, including Assistant Director of Exhibitions and Collections and Communications Director.

As Director, Sasha curated major exhibitions such as "When We All Stand", "Les Visionnaires: In the Modernist Spirit", "EVERY body, EVERY mind: Honoring the 35th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act", and "Love is the Message, Photography of Jamel Shabazz". She is instrumental in developing innovative programming and cultivating strategic partnerships that broaden the Museum’s community engagement and institutional impact. Under her leadership, the Museum has secured increased funding through grants from the Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, Huntington Council for the Arts, New York Community Trust Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts.

Earlier in her career, Sasha served as Assistant National Manager of Visual Planning at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition to her work in museums and galleries, she is an experienced educator, having taught art history as an adjunct professor at Hofstra University, Long Island University, Nassau Community College, Saint Joseph’s University, and SUNY Farmingdale State College. She holds a Master of Arts in Art History from CUNY Queens College. Her research interests include the preservation of cultural heritage and late pagan to early Christian iconography.

Jonathan Fidis is the Communication Director at the Hofstra University. He works on promoting the Museum through social media and publicity campaigns. While he was a Hofstra student, Jonathan worked in the Emily Lowe Gallery as an Undergraduate Gallery Assistant. Jonathan earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and Criminology with minors in Sociology and Linguistics.

Stephanie McGee is a Museum Educator at the Hofstra University Museum of Art. She creates, develops, and teaches the curriculum for the 21st Century program. This program helps expand on the importance of art and education. Previously, Stephanie was an outreach educator for the Long Island Children's Museum. She was an educator in Freeport Public Schools for kindergarten through fifth grade and worked as an assistant at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Stephanie received a dual BA of Fine Arts from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Marisa (Ris) Aguiló-Cuadra is a Museum Educator at the Hofstra University Museum of Art where they develop and teach the curriculum of the Art Explorers and Art Travelers Through Time programs, primarily working with elementary school students. Ris has been working with children and families for more than ten years as a youth counselor and art educator in a not-for-profit setting. They are a multi-disciplinary artist with a studio background in drawing, painting, ceramics, music, and performance art, and a research background in Pre-Columbian art, women artists, and LGBTQ activist art. Ris majored in studio art and minored in art history at Stony Brook University, where they earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. They hold a Master of Fine Arts degree from the City University of New York at Queens College.

Tamara Alfano is a Museum Educator at the Hofstra University Museum of Art. She creates, develops, and teaches the curriculum for the 21st Century program. This program helps expand on the importance of art and education. Previously, Tamara was a Planned Giving Specialist at Bideawee. She was a crucial member of the Development team and helped raise funds and awareness for homeless pets. Tamara has a deep personal connection to providing hands on art and learning experiences for children.

Jessica Galarza is a Museum Educator at the Hofstra University Museum of Art. She works primarily with elementary students, developing and teaching the curriculum of the Art Explorers and Art Travelers Through Time programs. Jessica has experience teaching primary students in Buddha, Uganda, for a two-month long internship with the grassroots organization, Pathways Development Initiative (PDI), during the summer of 2019. Jessica graduated from Lehigh University with a BA in Anthropology and Global Studies and has three years of experience as a museum educator at Lehigh University Art Galleries (LUAG). In addition to working at Hofstra, Jessica is a part-time graduate student earning her MS in Library and Information Science (MSLIS) at St. John’s University.

Presley Rodriguez is the Assistant Director of Exhibitions and Collections at the Hofstra University Museum of Art. Prior to joining the Museum, Presley worked at the Morris-Jumel Mansion, a house museum in New York City, where she helped manage the collection, plan exhibitions, and assist with fundraising. Presley holds a Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology from Boston University. While completing her Master of Arts in Art History from CUNY Hunter College, she worked as a curatorial intern at the American Federation of Arts through CUNY Cultural Corps and participated in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Alexis Gregory Curatorial Practice Program. Presley's research interests are eighteenth and nineteenth-century American decorative arts, with a particular focus on nation building and depictions of race.

Victoria Unz is the Collections Manager at the Hofstra University Museum of Art. Prior to joining the Museum, Victoria received her Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Master of Arts in Museum Administration from St. John’s University. Her passion for the arts stemmed from her childhood and continued into college where she continued to take art classes and complete a minor in Fine Arts. Throughout her schooling at St. John’s and internship with the Save Ancient Studies Alliance (SASA), Victoria has had the opportunity to co-curate an exhibition, create and implement teaching modules and activities, both requiring thorough and vigorous research, as well as exhibit her own artwork throughout the St. John’s University campus.