The University of Miami has appointed Dr Jill Deupi, who currently serves as director and chief curator of University Museums at Fairfield University, as the new director of the Lowe Art Museum. "I am honored to have been selected to lead the Lowe Art Museum as it embarks on an exciting new chapter in its rich and storied history," Deupi said. Deupi credits the Lowe's solid foundation and Miami's effervescent arts scene for her decision to join UM, beginning August 11, 2014. One of her goals for the museum is "to connect its remarkable collections to the contemporary art world and current cultural trends." She hopes to accomplish this partly with enhanced public accessibility to the Lowe's holdings via an online, user-friendly database. In addition to her leadership roles at the University Museums at Fairfield University, Deupi has also served as an assistant professor of art history since 2008. Under Deupi's leadership as founding director, the Bellarmine Museum of Art has welcomed thousands of visitors since it opened to the public in late 2010. Deupi has curated close to 20 temporary exhibitions at the Bellarmine and at Fairfield's Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery, which she has also directed since 2013. Opened in 1952, the University of Miami's Lowe Art Museum is Miami-Dade County's oldest and only comprehensive visual arts institution, featuring the region's most diverse collection of world art. The Lowe's distinguished permanent collection spans 5,000 years of western and non-western art history, highlights of which can be seen in the museum's nine galleries. Brian Dursum, director of the Lowe Art Museum since 1990, announced his retirement in September 2013.