Office of Public Art Names New Associate Director Divya Rao Heffley

Sallyann Kluz, Office of Public Art’s Director, enthuses: “Office of Public Art works with artists to highlight issues, raise voices and engage communities all in the effort to strengthen neighborhoods and bring vibrancy to the region. Divya’s background and experience in contemporary practice in art combined with her expertise at working with diverse communities is the perfect match for our vision and strategy moving forward with artists engaged in communities.”

Most recently, Dr. Heffley was the Senior Manager of Engagement and Strategy at Carnegie Museum of Art, and from 2011-2017, she managed Carnegie Museum of Art’s Hillman Photography Initiative. “I am excited to join the incredible team at OPA and support meaningful partnerships between artists and communities. I look forward to collaborations that both empower the community and champion the artist’s voice and vision in the public realm.” Dr. Heffley has launched artist commissions and public programming for a range of contemporary issues, both primary aims of the Office of Public Art. She has pioneered new and inclusive strategies to empower multiple perspectives and create more access points for engagement with photography and contemporary art, within the museum’s walls and beyond.

About the Office of Public Art

The Office of Public Art (OPA), located at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, expands the range of possibilities for artists to engage communities through technical assistance, educational programs, commissions, and residencies in the public realm. Founded in 2005, OPA works with organizations and individuals, within the thirteen county regions of Southwestern Pennsylvania, in the public and private sector to facilitate the development of and information about public art. For more information, visit publicartpittsburgh.org.

About Divya Rao Heffley

Divya is an arts professional with over ten years of experience in galleries and museums. A Pittsburgh native, she developed a love affair with cities early on that led her to pursue a PhD on the intersections between urban design, architecture, and spatial perception. A commitment to the critical role of the arts in the urban experience brought her back to Carnegie Museum of Art, where she worked across curatorial, exhibitions, and education departments to guide the Hillman Photography Initiative and Collecting Experiences, two experimental programs. Divya is a passionate advocate of equity in the arts, serving on the Learning and Leadership Committee for The Racial Equity in Arts Funding Research Project of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, as well as the Diversity Task Force at Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh and Inclusion Working Group at Carnegie Museum of Art. She was a staff representative at MASS Action: Museum As Site for Social Action and believes in the capacity of art to engage a wide range of perspectives and voices. She juried Photolucida’s Critical Mass International Photography Competition and the Magenta Foundation’s Flash Forward Emerging Photographers Competition, and was an invited portfolio reviewer at CENTER Santa Fe’s REVIEW Santa Fe. Divya’s writing has appeared in Museums and Visitor Photography; Museum Ideas: Innovation in Theory and Practice, v.2; Design and Culture; Carnegie Magazine; and the Center for the Future of Museums blog. Divya holds a PhD in the History of Art and Architecture from Brown University and a BA in the History of Art from Yale University.