VOL. 129 | NO. 54 | Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Memphis Newsmakers
Stewart Joins Metal Museum as Collections Manager
By Kate Simone
Grace Stewart has joined the Metal Museum as collections manager/registrar. Stewart, who previously served as registrar for the National Civil Rights Museum for a year and a half, says her goals are to help grow and define the Museum’s permanent collection and facilitate greater access to the collection through exhibits and education opportunities.
Hometown: My parents were in the Air Force, so I moved around a lot as a child.
Experience: Bachelor of Fine Arts, Alfred University; Master of Arts Management, Carnegie Mellon University. Registrar for National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis; exhibitions and programming associate for August Wilson Center for African American History and Culture, Pittsburgh.
Family: Father and stepmother, William and Audrey; mother and stepfather, Deloris and Kamal; brother, Kelly; sister, Chandra; nephews, Elijah and Jayden.
Favorite quote: “Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.” – Carl Sagan.
Favorite movie: I’m enjoying all the Marvel superhero movies right now.
The sports team you root for: Pittsburgh Steelers
What’s playing on your stereo right now? Lorde
Activities you enjoy outside of work: Visiting other museums, reading, baking, making art, traveling
What talent do you wish you had? I wish I could read minds. I think that would avoid a lot of miscommunications that happen in life. That’s probably more of a superpower than a talent though.
Who has had the greatest influence on you and why? I’ve been fortunate enough to have several amazing mentors in my life so far. Mostly women in leadership roles who were willing to invest in me, help me discover my own strengths and develop my potential. The best mentors have been willing to be honest even if the truth is uncomfortable, and supportive without dictating the direction I should take.
What attracted you to the Metal Museum? My background is in the arts, and my professional experience has been mostly in museums, so the position at the Metal Museum was a natural fit. The Metal Museum is also a place that thrives on collaboration and innovation, and I was eager to be part of such a creative and dedicated team.
What do you most enjoy about your work? I enjoy working with the art. I get a chance to communicate with the artists, and I am entrusted to make sure their artwork is well taken care of while we display it at the Metal Museum. Every show is different and offers new challenges and opportunities to learn.
If you could give one piece of advice to young people, what would it be? Being busy isn’t the same thing as being productive. Some people act like their schedule is a competition and whoever has more to do and is more stressed out by it, that person is somehow winning. I disagree. The person who makes a real impact in a few targeted areas and still has time to read a book or watch a show on Netflix without feeling guilty – that’s the person I say is winning. So basically, don’t be so busy that you don’t enjoy life.
Laurence V. Plummer Sr., president and CEO of Memphis-based Plummer Financial Services, has been named Signator Investors Inc.’s Financial Representative of the Year for 2013. In addition, Laurence V. “LV” Plummer Jr., who joined Plummer Financial in 2013 to expand its investment management capabilities, has been named Signator’s Rookie of the Year.
Henry Lindeman has been appointed to the board of trustees at Southern College of Optometry. Lindeman, a certified public accountant, is the founder and previous board chair for School Advocates for Vision & Education.
The University of Memphis College of Education, Health and Human Sciences Alumni Chapter has named its 2013 hall of fame inductees: Madan M. Birla, Allyson Chick, Joseph A. Clayton, Marvis LaVerne Kneeland-Jones, Sharon K. McNary, Dr. Eli T. Morris and Dr. Patricia H. Murrell.
Waller, a Nashville-based law firm serving the health care industry, has added Wes Scott and Jacob Weinstein as associates in its newly opened Memphis office. Both previously practiced with Butler Snow LLP. In addition, Angela C. Youngberg has joined Waller as a partner. Youngberg, who previously practiced at Rainey, Kizer, Reviere & Bell PLC in Jackson, Tenn., will be based in Nashville but will serve long-standing clients in Memphis and West Tennessee.
Ducks Unlimited has received a $125,000 donation from United Country Auction Services, the largest integrated network of auction and real estate professionals in the nation. The funds were raised during three auctions held across the U.S. over the course of a week.
Crye-Leike Realtors’ website, crye-leike.com, has won two awards from the organization Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. The site was recognized with the “Most Effective SEO Strategy Award” and the “LeadingRE.com #1 Overall Website Traffic Leader Award.”