COURTESY WADSWORTH ATHENEUM
Hartford, Connecticut’s Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art has announced the appointment of Thomas J. Loughman as the institution’s eleventh director and C.E.O., effective February 1, 2016. Loughman currently serves as the associate director of program and planning at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where he has worked for seven years. Loughman will be filling the role left by outgoing director and C.E.O. Susan L. Talbott, who leaves after spearheading a $33 million renovation of the Wadsworth Atheneium’s campus that has been lauded by critics.
Henry R. Martin, president of the Wadsworth Atheneum’s board of trustees, said in a statement:
“With the internationally-acclaimed completion of our contemporary and European gallery reinstallations, the Wadsworth Atheneum is now extremely well positioned to exhibit and interpret its world-renowned permanent collection. The strategic and programming skill sets that Tom brings to us, along with his global perspective and experience, are perfectly aligned with this goal. We are truly excited about the next phase of the Wadsworth Atheneum’s legacy under Tom’s leadership.”
Prior to the Clark, Loughman worked as curator of European art and as assistant to the director for exhibitions at the Phoenix Art Museum, and was a National Endowment for the Arts curatorial fellow in the department of prints, drawing, and photographs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.