The Smithsonian has appointed Lynda Roscoe Hartigan as director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC.
Currently serving as executive director and CEO of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, Hartigan begins her new role at the Smithsonian on 8 September.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is where Hartigan started her career, serving as the institution's chief curator.
"Lynda is a visionary leader whose career reflects a deep commitment to American art, thoughtful scholarship and public engagement," said Lonnie Bunch, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
"Having begun her career at the Smithsonian, she returns with deep curatorial knowledge and substantial experience that will guide the museum in the years ahead."
Hartigan joined the Peabody Essex Museum as its first chief curator in 2003, before becoming deputy director in 2016. In 2021. she took on the role of the museum's executive director and CEO.
She previously served as deputy director for collections and research, and as the first chief innovation officer, at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada.
“The Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery is a place where art encourages meaningful dialogue and connection for audiences from the local to the international," Hartigan said.
New director is "a visionary leader"
"I am honored to help shape the museum’s next chapters and to work with its remarkable network of staff, supporters and partners to expand opportunities for people to engage with American creativity – an essential anchor for exploration and understanding in our rapidly evolving times."
At the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Hartigan will oversee one of the most significant collections of American art in the world.
She succeeds Jane Carpenter-Rock, who has served as acting director since September 2024 and will continue at the museum as deputy director for museum content and outreach.
Images courtesy of the Smithsonian
