To arrange interviews on location or by phone with Museum sources,
contact Julie Mann at 205.254.2707.
Gail Andrews, Museum director and president of the Association of Art Museum Directors
Robin Meador-Woodruff, Pompeii guest curator
Terry Beckham, exhibitions designer
Jeannine O’Grody, curator of European arts
Anne Forschler, curator of decorative arts
Kristen Greenwood, lectures and special events
Tatum Preston, librarian
Denny Frank, head preparator
Jason Mezrano, chef for the Museum’s Terrace Café
Director Gail Andrews and Curator of European Arts Jeannine O’Grody traveled to Italy and returned with Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption—an exhibition coveted by Museums around the country. How did Birmingham land this and other landmark exhibitions?
Robin Meador-Woodruff, Guest Curator, Pompeii
Formerly of the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Meador-Woodruff brings a unique perspective and depth of knowledge to the exhibition. She also can speak to what it takes to produce an exhibition of this scale.
Terry Beckham, Exhibitions Designer, Birmingham Museum of Art
Beckham has produced 421 exhibitions for the Museum since 1984. He gives a master designer’s perspective of installing an exhibition the scale of Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption, from knocking out walls to perfecting lighting and paint colors to complement the emotions evoked by Pompeii. Beckham transformed 10,000 square feet of Asian motifs into a classical Roman setting.
Tatum Preston, Librarian, Birmingham Museum of Art
A source for books, films and online resources for adults, teens and children.
Other sources knowledgeable about the exhibition, history of Pompeii, classical antiquity, archaeology, volcanology, and more:
Scott Brande, Ph.D., Geology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Brande, an Associate Professor of Chemistry with a focus in Geology, is an expert on both volcanoes on Earth and in the Solar System.
Verna Gates, ethnobotanist and storyteller
A self-described “plant nerd,” Gates is an expert on the use of flowers and botanicals across time, including ancient Pompeii.
Jasper Gaunt, Curator of Greek and Roman Art, Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
An expert on Greek and Roman sculpture. Several pieces of Greek red figure pottery are on loan to the Birmingham Museum of Art from the Carlos Museum as part of the related "Artes Etruriae Renascuntur" exhibition. (See related exhibitions.)
James Lamb, PhD, geologist, McWane Science Center
Lamb can speak about the effects of the explosion of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. and the risk of such a disaster happening again.
Daniel Lesnick, Ph.D., associate professor of history, UAB
A Lifetime Fellow of the American Academy in Rome and expert on the history of medieval and renaissance Italy, Lesnick teaches the university level course, “Pompeii and the Greco-Roman World” at the Birmingham Museum of Art fall of 2007.
Sean Meyer, master sommelier candidate and wine consultant
Meyer can speak about the wines of the Pompeii region and beyond. He is formerly of Birmingham’s Highlands Bar & Grill, and was lead sommelier at California's Bouchon restaurant. www.qsommelier.com/pompeii
Dennis Pappas, M.D.
The practice of medicine in the ancient world and medical remedies used in Pompeii.
Dr. Pappas is a collector of ancient medical instruments.
Sam Pezillo, PhD, professor of classics, Birmingham Southern College
His areas of academic interest including Roman literature and culture, and with an expertise in Pompeii and the surrounding area, Pezilla can discuss the eyewitness account in 79 AD of Pliny the Younger in the context of modern science.
Steve Pocus, exhibits shop manager, McWane Science Center
Pocus constructed the volcano exhibit showing at McWane during Pompeii and can describe how it works.
Joshua J. Schwartz, Assistant Professor, Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Alabama
Timothy B. Smith, PhD, assistant professor of art history, Birmingham-Southern College
Smith drew a standing room only crowd to the Museum on September 6th for his lecture on the lifestyles of Pompeii’s elite as revealed in the imperial Roman art and artifacts featured in the exhibition. Surviving homes and villas were filled with frescoes, sculpture, mosaics and furniture: vestiges of Pompeiians’ culture and wealth and obsession with social status. Smith can also address the intriguing mythology and imagery of the Roman god Vulcan, including his ancient connections to volcanoes and the area of Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii.
Jennifer and Arthur Stephens, staff members of the Anglo-American Project in Pompeii and directors of the Via dell'Abbondanza project.
Currently excavating excavations below the 79 A.D. level of structures along the 900-meter Via dell'Abbondanza, a major thoroughfare running through ancient Pompeii, the Stephens can address the events that led to the catastrophic destruction of the area. Their project of 12-years reveals the diverse lives and cultures of the people who inhabited this city block by examining the places they lived and worked, the objects they used and food they ate. The Stephens produced a number of photographs to be shown in the exhibition.
Connie Ulrich, jeweler and goldsmith
Ulrich creates jewelry based on ancient classical designs.
