Q+A: Mario Rossero

Photo: Elisa Cevallos

On March 31, Mario Rossero, who grew up south of Pittsburgh near Hickory, Pennsylvania (where his mother still lives), returns to The Andy Warhol Museum as its new director—28 years after his first stint there as an artist educator. He spent seven years in that part-time post while teaching art full time in the Shaler Area School District. The infectiously enthusiastic Rossero says he “loved being that creative champion for a school—not just the kids, but for the parents, too.” But he knew he had it in him to champion the cause on a bigger scale, even though, as he points out, “the last place a school system is looking for leadership is from the art teachers.” The self-professed “calculated risk-taker” would go on to spend weekends earning his Master of Science in education degree before happily disproving his own theory by not only becoming director of arts education for Chicago Public Schools but also eventually taking over as chief of all core curriculum. Having learned to work on a big scale, Rossero went even bigger when he was named senior vice president for education at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he helped open the REACH, a new space where audiences of all ages and interests could come together with artists for less formal exploration. In January 2020, he was named executive director of the National Art Education Association (NAEA), the leading professional membership organization for visual arts, design, and media arts educators—another full-circle moment, as he’s been an NAEA member throughout his career. As he considers his new position, Rossero says he doesn’t need to go far for his inspiration: “If we’re really smart, we’ll constantly go back to Warhol as the touchstone.”

Q: How does it feel to be coming home to The Warhol?
A:  I couldn’t be more excited. I have a special place in my heart for The Warhol. It was a unique place to be for your first job out of college, but it was also a place that influenced my artwork and my education approach.

Q: What did you love about being an arts educator?   
A: When I was in the classroom, I got to make art every day with young people. I got to be the bright spot in their day—and, for many, the reason they came to school. I felt so fortunate. It’s one of the greatest experiences you could ever have.

Q: What’s one of your best memories as a teacher?
A: I was an arts educator in Chicago’s South Side, in Harold Washington Elementary, and I had 800 kids, 10 grade levels, and 7 classes a day. It was amazing!

Q: What makes Warhol, his art, and his museum such a great resource for teachers and students?
A: The older I get, the more I realize how prolific he was. Especially at the time that he was an artist, we didn’t see artists dabble in so many different media. You have to believe he had a true north to himself. He had a precognizant way about him—almost like he could predict the future. I just think he’s so relevant, and everyone has an in.

Q: Had you considered museum work before?
A: I had started to consider what it would be like to lead a brick-and-mortar institution. So much of my recent work was virtual and national, at a distance.  And I’m a people person; I like to have a community.  During my time in Chicago, especially, I felt I was part of the fabric and fiber of the city. So, I would think about it: leading a staff that’s really committed, being in the heart of a community and a city, contributing to the organization and beyond.

Q: Are you excited about the work of The Warhol’s Pop District?
A: It feels like it was tailor-made to my experiences across my career, especially the past 10 years. The Pop District helps The Warhol become even more Warhol. The community engagement, investing in youth, investing in Pittsburgh, investing in the next generation, all the design work. And then, uniquely, the performing arts space; I spent so much time working with artists, and authors, and playwrights, and production folks at the Kennedy Center, and I feel this new space could offer something really special and unique. 

Q: What do you think is the primary role of museums in education today?
A: Museums are a community hub, a community convener. They’re really this space where we can come together to imagine and be inspired and innovate. And we’re definitely seeing this evolution of a museum as even more of a community space.

We are more than just the art on our walls; we are a space that welcomes in our community to share and express ideas, and hopefully move those ideas forward.