Sarah Gilfillan, an associate director of development and major curatorial contributor to the Fowler Museum at UCLA died in a car accident on Nov. 18, at age 26.
“She was our beacon and our shining light,” said Gassia Armenian, curatorial assistant at the museum, adding that Gilfillan had been a devoted contributor to the Fowler Museum staff.
Gilfillan began working for the museum under the title of associate director of development, but became an instrumental member of the staff when Director of Development Lynne Brodhead Clark was excused for maternity leave, said Marla Berns, director of the museum.
Berns said she worked closely with Gilfillan during this time.
“Sarah was a remarkably smart, talented and ambitious young woman who worked tirelessly for the museum, not just as a fund-raiser but as a curator as well,” Berns said.
In her capacity as associate director, Gilfillan was in charge of the museum’s membership program and worked with foundation and corporate giving and with individual solicitations.
She was responsible for major events at the museum and was very much in the public eye, heavily involved with Fowler’s key supporters, patrons and members, Berns said.
A graduate with multiple honors from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in art history, Gilfillan was fluent in both Portuguese and Spanish.
“She had a special passion for Latin American art, especially the arts of Brazil where she had lived and worked for more than a year,” Berns said.
Prior to her work at the Fowler Museum, Gilfillan had worked in corporate relations at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Among her many contributions to the Fowler Museum, Gilfillan had taken it upon herself to contribute curatorial work to the development of the MAKE ART/STOP AIDS exhibit.
Colleagues said she passionately and selflessly worked to promote during her tenure at the museum.
One of the projects in which Gilfillan was most involved, the MAKE ART/STOP AIDS program is a collaborative effort between scholars, artists and activists to work toward the goal of ending the global AIDS epidemic.
The program, established in 2003, invests in artists as master communicators, aiming to promote the presence of artists in AIDS interventions around the world.
“She was involved in several projects, but her heart was really in the MAKE ART/STOP AIDS project. She had made a huge contribution to that exhibition,” said Sarah Kennington, chief registrar at the museum.
As a leader and valued contributor to the Fowler staff, Gilfillan played a part in organizing the contributions of student volunteers for museum events. She advocated student involvement at Fowler, rewarding their contributions with mentorship and networking opportunities for learning and career development, according to Daily Bruin archives.
Staff members at the Fowler Museum said that the loss hit them hard and that Gilfillan’s strength of character, positive contributions and companionship will be greatly missed.
“When we all met as a staff to remember and honor Sarah, one thing that was said over and over was that she was such a bright and shining star and how much people liked working with her and how much people respected her,” Berns said. “I think everyone is going to miss her, her energy, her friendly ways and her lovely smile.”
Gilfillan is survived by her parents and her three younger brothers.
Memorial services for the deceased have been scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 27, at 10 a.m. at the Holy Family Church in Pasadena.