Dr. Charlie Garling is an art museum executive leading institutional transformation, audience experience, interpretation, learning, and community partnerships to help museums become more relevant, welcoming, and essential to the communities they serve. He serves as the inaugural Delaware North Director of Learning & Creativity at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, where he is a member of the museum's senior leadership team. He leads a multidisciplinary department responsible for learning, interpretation, public engagement, accessibility, and community and university partnerships while helping shape institutional strategy, organizational change, and policy development.
During the museum's $230 million campus transformation and reopening, Garling reimagined the museum's approach to audience engagement through a redesigned portfolio of programs and initiatives grounded in co-creation, community partnership, and audience-centered design. He led the development of the museum's first institution-wide interpretive framework, establishing a coordinated approach to exhibition interpretation and visitor experience across the institution. He also directed the vision and implementation of the museum's learning and engagement infrastructure, including dedicated studios for artmaking and digital media, a Family Room for young children and caregivers, and Creative Commons—a play-based learning environment developed in partnership with the LEGO Foundation. Together, these initiatives helped position visitor belonging and relevance as defining principles of the museum's visitor experience.
Previously, Garling served as the inaugural Director of Studio Programs at the Detroit Institute of Arts, where he led creative engagement programs for audiences of all ages and abilities. He founded the museum's first public art initiative, building partnerships among artists, municipalities, and communities to create murals and sculptures throughout Southeast Michigan. The initiative strengthened regional partnerships, expanded the museum's civic presence, and reinforced the public trust that contributed to the successful renewal of the museum's tri-county millage, which today provides approximately 70 percent of its operating support.
Throughout his career, Garling has co-curated exhibitions featuring the creative work of students and community participants, using exhibitions as platforms to strengthen community relationships and affirm the creative contributions of people of all ages and abilities.
His work has been recognized by Artnet, The Art Newspaper, ArtDaily, The New York Times, USA Art News, Buffalo Toronto Public Media, and other media. He has presented at MuseumNext, the French American Museum Exchange (FRAME), and other museum and cultural forums on topics including play, co-creation, visitor experience, and the evolving civic role of museums.
Garling began his career as a public school art teacher, spending thirteen years in Dearborn Public Schools while simultaneously serving as a museum educator at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Working across public education and museums provided an enduring perspective on how cultural institutions, schools, and communities intersect to support learning, belonging, and civic life. This dual perspective continues to inform his approach to museum leadership, interpretation, and public engagement. During this period, he also served on the Art Education Advisory Council at the College for Creative Studies.
He holds a Doctor of Education in Learning and Teaching in Social Contexts from the University at Buffalo, a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education from Michigan State University. His award-winning dissertation, Permission to Play, examines how playful engagement can restore cognitive and somatic reserves while reducing psychological barriers to participation and belonging in cultural institutions.