Chrysler Museum of Art Names McKinnon Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

June 21, 2022 (Norfolk, Va.) – The Chrysler Museum of Art is pleased to announce the arrival of Chelsea Pierce as the new McKinnon Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. Pierce was selected following an extensive, nationwide search and brings a fresh perspective and extensive background in contemporary art. Pierce will begin at the Museum this July.

“The Search Committee was particularly impressed by the thoughtfulness of Chelsea Pierce’s approach to Modern and Contemporary Art,” said Erik H. Neil, Macon and Joan Brock Director of the Chrysler Museum of Art. “She offers an ideal combination of intelligence and energy that will make her a fitting addition to the curatorial team at the Chrysler. Her experience at the Dallas Museum of Art along with her strong academic credentials will allow her to be a great contributor from day one.”

Pierce is a Ph.D. candidate in Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, U.K. Her monographic study of the Gorgona group, a neo avant-garde collective active in Zagreb in the 1960s, is one of the first doctoral theses to be written on the group. Pierce’s background is in post-war international art and global perspectives in art history, specializing in art practices historically excluded from the Western canon.

“We’re delighted to have Chelsea join our dynamic team as the new McKinnon Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. We were very impressed by her broad experience in contemporary issues and questions of diversity,” said Lloyd DeWitt, Chief Curator and Irene Leache Curator of European Art.

Prior to commencing her post-graduate program, Pierce was Curatorial Assistant for Contemporary Art at the Dallas Museum of Art from 2014 to 2018, where she worked on various exhibitions of all media, commissions, and publications. She earned an M.A. in Museum Studies from New York University and B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Oklahoma. Pierce has previously interned in curatorial departments at the Brooklyn Museum and the Drawing Center, New York.

“It is an honor to join the Chrysler team as the McKinnon Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art” said Pierce. “The Museum has an exceptional collection and longstanding record of organizing engaging exhibitions and programs with strong ties to the Hampton Roads community. I look forward to the opportunity to explore how contemporary art relates to diverse genres across time and place and contribute to a more expansive view of global art history.”

About the Chrysler Museum of Art

The Chrysler Museum of Art is one of America’s most distinguished mid-sized art museums, with a nationally recognized collection of more than 30,000 objects, including one of the great glass collections in America. The core of the Chrysler’s collection comes from Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., an avid art collector who donated thousands of objects from his private collection to the Museum. The Museum has growing collections in many areas and mounts an ambitious schedule of visiting exhibitions and educational programs each season. The Chrysler has also been recognized nationally for its unique commitment to hospitality with its innovative gallery host program.

The Perry Glass Studio is a state-of-the-art facility on the Museum’s campus. The studio offers programming for aspiring and master artists alike in a variety of processes, including glassblowing, fusing, flameworking, coldworking and neon.

In addition, the Chrysler Museum of Art administers the Moses Myers House, a historic house in downtown Norfolk, as well as the Jean Outland Chrysler Library. For more information on the Chrysler Museum of Art, visit chrysler.org.

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