Courtenay Finn, the newly appointed chief curator at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Photo: Benedicte Gyldenstierne Sehested
The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which inaugurated a 114,000-sq.-ft expansion of its campus in Bentonville, Arkansas earlier this month, has made three changes to its leadership team, most notably hiring Courtenay Finn as chief curator. Finn, who previously served as the chief curator and director of programmes at California’s Orange County Museum of Art (now the UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art), will start in her new role spanning Crystal Bridges and its contemporary and performing arts wing the Momentary on 24 August.
“I am thrilled to be joining the incredible team at Crystal Bridges, especially at this moment of growth and expansion,” Finn said in a statement. “I have watched the extraordinary work being done since the museum’s founding, and I am excited to build on our shared commitment to exhibitions, programmes and initiatives that increase access, spark curiosity and transform and expand traditional narratives.”
At the Orange County Museum of Art, Finn led the curatorial programme alongside former chief executive and director Heidi Zuckerman as the institution opened its new Morphosis-designed building in Costa Mesa in October 2022. During her tenure there, she secured the acquisition of more than 100 works for the museum’s permanent collection (including pieces by Joan Brown, Derek Fordjour and Luchita Hurtado) and curated the 2025 edition of the museum’s California Biennial, Desperate, Scared, But Social (with Christopher Y. Lew and the associate curator Lauren Leving) as well as shows devoted to Leonor Fini and Leonora Carrington, Fred Eversley, Alice Neel and others.
Finn was previously the chief curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland, a senior curator at the Aspen Art Museum and a curator at the New York nonprofit Art in General.
Finn takes over the chief-curator role in Bentonville from Austen Barron Bailly, who was promoted to deputy director of curatorial affairs in February. In addition to Finn’s hiring, Crystal Bridges and the Momentary have appointed Ryan Owen as chief development officer (he started on 15 June) and Shayne Hart as chief communications and marketing officer (a role he began in February). Finn, Owens and Hart will all join the institutions’ executive council.
Lisa Phillips, who has led the museum through two major construction projects, will step down in April
Joo had joined the museum in 2017 as its first contemporary art curator and most recently organised an ambitious project by Kara Walker
The Arkansas museum now has 50% more space for its ever-expanding collection and art-and-wellness programming
Klaudio Rodriguez, who has led the Bronx Museum since 2020, will take on his new role in Florida in October
October Gallery