Artist, curator Jaroslava Prihodova named director of APSU’s The New Gallery
By: Dr. Andrea Spofford March 26, 2026
Jaroslava Prihodova, the director of The New Gallery at APSU. | Contributed photo
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Department of Art + Design at Austin Peay State University has announced the selection of visual artist, designer, and curator Jaroslava Prihodova as the next director of The New Gallery.
“The New Gallery serves an important role in educational and cultural processes, not only for the APSU campus community, faculty, and students, but also for the public,” Prihodova said. “I am excited to continue promoting ideas, social issues, and artistic concepts through visual arts and design. I look forward to new collaborations that expand the gallery’s reach, cultivate meaningful dialogue, and support interdisciplinary engagement across campus and beyond, reinforcing its role as a dynamic space for critical inquiry and creative exchange.”
About the Director
Jaroslava Prihodova is a curator, artist, and arts administrator with over a decade of experience working across academic galleries and international cultural institutions. Her practice is grounded in exhibition-making as a form of research and pedagogy, with a strong emphasis on contextual presentation, interdisciplinary programming, and collection stewardship.
Prihodova’s background in studio art, sculpture, and conservation framing informs a material approach to objects and installations. She brings extensive hands-on expertise in art handling, fabrication, framing, and installation, working in alignment with professional museum standards and best practices. This technical knowledge supports her broader commitment to sustainable exhibition design, long-term collections care, and accessibility. Prihodova holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in the Czech Republic, where she studied in the Studio of Natural Materials, and a Master of Fine Arts from Syracuse University in the Studio of Jewelry and Metalsmithing. You can learn more by visiting her website.
About the Department of Art + Design
Established in 1927, the Department of Art + Design is one of the original departments at Austin Peay State University. Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the department offers studies in animation, art education, art history, ceramics, drawing, digital media, graphic design, illustration, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. The department is housed in the College of Arts and Letters and consists of 19 full-time faculty for approximately 350 students. Three on-campus galleries also support the art and design programs. In 2017, the department moved into a state-of-the-art building. The department also houses the Goldsmith Press and Rare Type Collection, a remarkable collection of antique and vintage wooden letterforms. To learn more about the department, contact McLean Fahnestock, department chair, at fahnestockm@apsu.edu.
About the New Gallery
The New Gallery at Austin Peay State University is a 1,500-square-foot white cube contemporary gallery with 120 linear feet of wall space and 36 feet of movable wall space. Located in the Art + Design Building, The New Gallery hosts nationally and internationally recognized contemporary artists for exhibitions, lectures, workshops, class visits, and studio visits with students. Exhibitions in the gallery are free and open to the public. You can learn more about the New Gallery by visiting https://www.apsu.edu/thenewgallery/index.php.
About the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts
Since 1985, the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA, or "seek-ah") has been providing students, the Clarksville community, and the Middle Tennessee region with engaging experiences through the Art + Design, Music, Theatre & Dance, and Creative Writing programs at APSU. CECA brings as many as 85 guest artists to Clarksville each year and presents up to 100 public arts & culture events annually, including concerts, exhibitions, artist lectures, master classes, artist residencies, and more. In addition, CECA provides the arts faculty at APSU with research opportunities to enhance their professional growth as well as numerous student scholarships each year to support APSU's own emerging artists.