©SARAH DESANTIS/COURTESY BROOKLYN MUSEUM
The Brooklyn Museum has appointed Jennifer Y. Chi as its new chief curator and deputy director. The chief curator and deputy director posts were previously held by Nancy Spector, who joined the museum’s curatorial staff in April 2016, only to leave it to work at the Guggenheim Foundation in early 2017. The position had been vacant since then.
For the past ten years, Chi had been the exhibitions director and chief curator of the Institute for Study of the Ancient World at NYU. At that museum, she became known for her exhibitions that paired antiquities with contemporary works. A show in 2015 about archaeology, for example, placed ancient Sumerian sculptures next to pieces by Michael Rakowitz and others.
Chi will now be charged with organizing thematic shows of the Brooklyn Museum’s collection. The goal, according to a release, is to offer “a more inclusive view of history and geography” using the museum’s collection. She will also oversee the museum’s public programming and special exhibitions.
In a statement, Anne Pasternak, the director of the Brooklyn Museum, said of Chi, “She is not only a renowned scholar and curator, but also a creative thinker, whose drive and entrepreneurial skills will be a great boon to our efforts in expanding our curatorial activities.”