New Director, Assistant Director Named for Mazza Museum
The University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum is proud to announce that Dan Chudzinski will be the new director and Amanda Davidson-Johnston will be elevated to the role of assistant director, as of August 1, 2025.
“The impressive credentials of Dan and Amanda make me confident this jewel of our campus will continue to flourish under their leadership,” said Ken McIntyre Jr., vice president of University advancement. “With their passion, talent, and commitment, it was clear to me our way forward needs to rest in their capable hands.”
Chudzinski, who currently serves as Mazza’s director of curation and exhibitions, will oversee day-to-day operations, enhance the visitor experience for guests, and serve as the ambassador of the Mazza Museum collection. He will continue to design gallery exhibitions and curate the nearly 22,000 original works of art from picture books – the largest such collection in the world.
Chudzinski has served at UF for 10 years, helping Mazza to expand its influence through national exhibitions including the National Academy of Sciences (Washington, D.C.), the Norman Rockwell Museum (Stockbridge, MA), the Delaware Art Museum (Wilmington, DE) and was featured in the 2022 PBS feature documentary, The Magic of Mazza.
He also is the creator of Bessie the Lake Erie Monster – the school bus sized skeleton featured in Lape Great Hall of the Virginia B. Gardner Fine Arts Pavilion.
Chudzinski received a bachelor’s of fine arts in sculpture and a bachelor’s in history from Miami University, as well as a master’s of fine arts in three dimensional studies from Bowling Green State University. He is a four-time nominee and winner of the prestigious Chesley Award, from the Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists. An image of his piece, Evasive Species, will be placed in a time capsule on the South Pole of the moon in November 2025.
Davidson-Johnston’s duties will include marketing and continued management of Mazza’s popular Funday Sunday events and community engagement, and she will expand the museum’s capacity for new programs and school offerings.
Davidson-Johnston serves on the Ohio Museum Association Board of Trustees and is the head of the Northwest Ohio Emerging Museum Professionals Network. She holds a bachelor’s in history from Cedarville University and is nearing completion of a master’s in museum studies from Johns Hopkins University.
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