Catherine Evans. Courtesy Carnegie Museum of Art.
Catherine Evans has been hired as chief curator at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museum of Art. She will take up the new post sometime in February.
Evans replaces Jason Busch, who was chief curator and head curator of decorative arts and design from 2006 until this fall. Busch is now the deputy director for curatorial affairs and museum programs at the Saint Louis Art Museum. Since his departure, positions have been restructured and the chief curator is now independent from the decorative arts and design department. Evans will oversee all curatorial departments.
“The Carnegie has a storied collection and terrific visibility in the art world,” Evans told A.i.A. when reached by phone today. “[Director] Lynn Zelevansky and I share roots at [New York’s] Museum of Modern Art from many years ago, so there’s a symmetry in coming here and meeting up with her again.
“The museum is now in the process of implementing a strategic plan, which is about re-imagining the role of museums in our communities,” she added. “Shifting to a visitor-centered model is something we’re all very keen to work on.”
Evans is leaving the Columbus Museum of Art, where she was chief curator from 1996 to 2011 and curator of photography since then. She was previously an assistant curator at MoMA (1981-90) and at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal (1979-81).
Zelevansky said in a press release, “[Evans] brings to the position of chief curator a background in innovative cross-departmental programming involving technology and viewer participation. She is committed to making the museum welcoming and the art accessible to all. These goals, activities, and ideas are central to our current strategic plan.”
