Gay McDonald

Gay McDonald's Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution enabled her to continue research on the French involvement in the launch of American art, design and architecture in postwar France. Prior to completing her post-graduate work, Gay worked as a curator/museum educator within the NSW regional gallery network.

Her subsequent research has consistently focused on the construction and impact of exhibitions on audiences in the US and Australia. She is currently completing research on 1) how the relationship between curatorial practice and education are being re-imagined by leading practitioners within the sphere of the contemporary art museum within and beyond Australia and 2) the role of the art museum in advancing official foreign policy objectives via the "soft" channels of cultural diplomacy (international circulating exhibitions).