SAAM’s Contemporary Commitment Backed by Two Curatorial Appointments

In October, I wrote for Art in America about the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s heightened commitment to contemporary art, as evidenced by the myriad new acquisitions in its expanded and renovated contemporary galleries. When it reopened last year, after more than six years of top-to-bottom makeover, SAAM’s longtime director, Elizabeth Broun, took me first to the expansive Lincoln Gallery, where the 16th President had his second inaugural ball. With a sweeping gesture, she proudly informed me that “most of what you see here is new.” (Read the full AiA article here for more details on the contemporary holdings.)
Today comes an announcement that the museum has invested in new curatorial talent for its big growth area: An old museum hand, John Hanhardt, formerly of the Guggenheim, Whitney and Walker, started in September as consulting senior curator for film and media arts.
Joanna Marsh, currently associate curator of contemporary art at the Wadsworth Atheneum, will move to SAAM on Apr. 30 as curator of contemporary art. She organized many exhibitions in the Hartford museum’s “Matrix” series of young or emerging artists, and curated installations of work by Sol LeWitt and Robert Rauschenberg.
But what I really like about her is that, like CultureGrrl, she holds a bachelor’s degree English literature (as well as art history) from Cornell University. My degree was a little earlier than hers, though; we didn’t double-major in those days!