After 25 years as HMA’s Education Manager, Ginny Zellmer has announced her retirement for August 2023. During her career at HMA, she has worked with over 74,000 children and students through art classes, summer camps, museum field trips and tours, scout programs, festivals, and birthday parties. Zellmer said, “One of my favorite things to do in my job is to take children on tours of the Museum and see their face light up viewing artwork, being the first time they have ever been in a museum.” 

Ginny, popularly known as “Ms. Ginny,” has had the opportunity to not only work with adults but also to teach children as young as three or four years old in the Pint Size Picasso program. She’s greatly enjoyed the opportunity to watch her students grow into young adults as they returned to HMA’s art classes and camps year after year. Some of those students later returned in their high school years to work as interns, volunteers, or in college, teach summer camps they had once attended as children. 

Ginny fondly shared, “One of my favorite memories was during one of the elementary student art receptions for the Annual Paul Whitener Student Art Show, a kindergarten boy had won a ribbon. When we called his name to come to get the ribbon, he was all dressed up in his little suit and tie with his hair fixed just right and his whole family cheering him on. The student art show always brings memories like this past year with 450 people there. It’s good to see families celebrate the arts and their kids.” 

“Retiring from HMA is one of the hardest decisions I think I have ever had to make. It’s not just leaving a job you love. It’s leaving a family. I’ve enjoyed every aspect of working in the education department and plan to be back at the Museum teaching classes or volunteering for anything needed,” Zellmer remarked. 

Hickory Museum of Art Executive Director Clarissa Starnes shared, “Ginny has been a phenomenal asset to our entire community. It was through Ms. Ginny’s preschool outreach program that I was even introduced to the museum. She leaves behind a legacy of believing in lifelong learning and the power of art and we saw over her many years so much creativity blossom. We are incredibly thankful for all she has done for the Museum and the Hickory community. We wish her the best as she begins her well-earned retirement.” 

Anyone interested in the Education Manager position should visit www.hickoryart.org/employment for application instructions.