Lydia Ross

Former MCA Manager of School and Teacher Programs

Lydia Ross is the Director of Public Art at the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. She was formerly the Manager of School and Teacher Programs at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago from 2013-2018, where she co-developed and led the award-winning School Partnership for Art and Civic Engagement (SPACE), which places artists in residence in Chicago public high schools. In 2019 she was listed in New City’s “Art 50: Chicago’s Visual Vanguard,” and in 2017 was named Museum Art Educator of the year by the Illinois Art Education Association. She has lectured across the country, including institutions such as SFMoMA and Harvard University. Lydia holds an M.Ed. in Arts in Education from Harvard University, and a BA in American Studies from Columbia University. She previously worked in programming, production, and development at Creative Time, New York City's vanguard public art organization, and in public engagement and advocacy at the Center for the Arts Education.