VIA CENTER FOR CURATORIAL LEADERSHIP
Valerie Hillings has been hired as the North Carolina Museum of Art’s new director, according to the News & Observer. Hillings succeeds Larry Wheeler, who announced he will be retiring this November after almost 25 years as the museum’s director.
She joins the museum after working for 14 years at the Guggenheim Museum, where she helped organize such exhibitions as “ZERO: Countdown to Tomorrow, 1950s–60s” and “Russia!” Her current position at the museum is curator and associate director of curatorial affairs for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, which has yet to open.
“Between what Larry has already done here and what I’ve done in my career, I think the museum has the tools to connect with important people in the art world,” she told the News & Observer, adding, “I believe museums need to tell the story of history, but also tear it apart—question everything, open new stories. Some audiences have those old-school expectations and some just want the perfect selfie.”