Belinda Tate, a former WB colleague and current director of the Diggs Gallery at Winston-Salem State University for 15 years, has been hired as executive director of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, a nonprofit art museum and school serving Western Michigan. She will start work Sept. 8.

During her tenure at Diggs, the gallery increased its permanent collection by 20 percent with works by such artists as John Biggers, Elizabeth Catlett and Al Loving, as well as traditional Afr...ican art. She increased WSSU student participation at the gallery and engaged the community through exhibits including a celebration of the historic Happy Hill Community and works by black artists from North Carolina. Most recently, she led the renovation of the facility to create an improved venue for exhibitions and programs.