Alfred University recently announced Benjamin Evans, assistant director and curator of the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum (ACAM), has been appointed the Museum’s Wayne Higby Director and Principal Curator, effective July 1, 2025.
Evans’ appointment follows the retirement and emeritus faculty appointment of Professor Wayne Higby, who has served since 2014 as director and curator of ACAM. As ACAM’s director and curator, Higby managed the significant growth of the art collection, exhibition schedule, and Ceramophile magazine. He also oversaw construction of the new ACAM building, which was made possible by the generous support of Marlin Miller ’54, HD ’89, HD ’19. The endowed ACAM Director and Principal Curator position has been underwritten by Miller and named for Higby in honor of his significant contributions to the arts at Alfred University.
Evans, who joined the ACAM leadership in 2024, is an artist, scholar, arts administrator, and curator with 25 years of experience in the non-profit arts profession. Immediately prior to joining Alfred University, he served as coordinator for the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC) at the Ariana Museum of Ceramics and Glass in Geneva, Switzerland. The IAC is affiliated with UNESCO, with 1,000 members representing 81 countries across the globe.
“Working for the IAC gave me incredible exposure to the world of contemporary ceramic art,” Evans has noted, adding, “I am thrilled by the possibility of curating contemporary ceramic work and also delving into the Alfred University archives to develop new ways of looking at the work of the past.”
Together with Higby, Evans has already begun these efforts: ACAM’s current exhibition, History: A Legacy in Motion, Alfred Ceramic Art 1900–2025 was co-curated by them.
Evans has enjoyed numerous successes with innovative art gallery initiatives such as Eastern Edge Gallery in St. John’s, Newfoundland, the Untitled Arts Society and New Gallery in Calgary, Alberta, and Nurture Art in Brooklyn, NY, where he curated the multi-venue exhibition “The Bushwick Biennial.” In Paris, he launched Projective City, curating exhibitions in unused commercial spaces. He also created Paris-Scope, an innovative way to showcase various international, site-specific gallery exhibitions at the Mixed Greens Gallery in New York City.
Evans earned his doctorate in Philosophy from the New School of Social Research, NYC. His dissertation examined both the origins of aesthetic theory in the early modern period and the contemporary conversation about “everyday aesthetics.” He holds an MFA in Mixed Media from the University of Calgary, where he also earned bachelor’s degree. He holds master’s degrees in philosophy from Queen’s University and in Humanities from the Memorial University of Newfoundland.
As Evans assumes the helm at ACAM, Higby says he is looking forward to returning full-time to his ceramic art studio. “I am very happy to have someone as knowledgeable and artistically savvy as Benjamin Evans assume the leadership of the museum,” Higby says. “Ben’s international perspective brings an important and unique vitality of vision to both ACAM and Alfred University. It is a new era, and the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum is on the threshold of an exciting future.”
