Kimerly Rorschach, incoming director of Seattle Art Museum
No sooner had the Association of Art Museum Directors tweeted about its president Kimerly Rorschach‘s love of North Carolina (where she is founding director of the Rafael Viñoly-designed Nasher Museum, Duke University, which opened in 2005) than the Seattle Art Museum announced that she would become its new director this fall. Although she is switching horses, Rorschach will ride on as AAMD’s president.
SAM’s last female director, Mimi Gardner Gates, was also an AAMD president. Gates was succeeded by Derrick Cartwright, who left the post in June of last year, without public explanation, other than that he was resigning to pursue “scholarly projects.” His well regarded tenure lasted a scant two years. The museum and Cartwright (whose salary was reduced due to the museum’s shortfalls) were plagued by financial woes related to the Brad Cloepfil-designed expansion that took place on Gates’ watch.
May Kimerly enjoy a more secure and satisfying reign.