THE JEWISH MUSEUM APPOINTS DARSIE ALEXANDER CHIEF CURATOR

New York, NY, November 15, 2017 — Claudia Gould, Helen Goldsmith Menschel Director, The Jewish Museum, announced today that Darsie Alexander will become the Jewish Museum’s Susan and Elihu Rose Chief Curator. Ms. Alexander has previously held curator roles at the Walker Art Museum, Baltimore Museum of Art, and The Museum of Modern Art, and is currently Executive Director of the Katonah Museum of Art. The accomplished curator and museum director will begin her new role on March 20, 2018.

At the Jewish Museum, Ms. Alexander will work with Claudia Gould and the Museum’s curators to advance the mission of one of the world’s preeminent institutions devoted to exploring art and Jewish culture, from ancient to contemporary.  She will lead the curatorial team — that has expertise in Judaica, contemporary and modern art, and media — to organize exhibitions, acquisitions, and publications.

Claudia Gould said, “Darsie has the leadership qualities and range of experience that we were looking for in a chief curator. I am confident that she will work with our curatorial team to create dynamic exhibitions that reflect the diversity of Jewish culture and identity.”

Ms. Alexander said, “The Jewish Museum has a remarkable collection that includes contemporary art, historical objects, material culture, and Jewish ceremonial art. This combination allows for a lively dialogue between culturally diverse works related to Jewish identity and the ground-breaking work of artists who have shaped art history in profound ways. It will be a privilege to advance the curatorial vision of the Museum’s distinct mission.”

Ms. Alexander secured nationally-recognized artists for commissions and site-specific installations and conducted a strategic plan as the current Executive Director of the Katonah Museum of Art since 2014. Previously, she was Chief Curator at the Walker Art Center (2009-2014), where she organized numerous exhibitions, including the critically-acclaimed International Pop (2015-2016).  While at the Baltimore Museum of Art (2000-2008) as Department Head and Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, she organized the only U.S. retrospective of the Austrian artist Franz West during his lifetime, Franz West, To Build a House You Start with the Roof: Work, 1972-2008 (2008). She started her career as an assistant curator in the Department of Photography at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.