The Tamesis
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts announced Thursday the appointment of Christine Shepherd as its new president and chief executive officer. Shepherd will take office on February 9.
Shepard, 54, previously served as executive director and CEO of the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida, for five and a half years. She has also held leadership positions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum in New York, and Sotheby’s auction houses in New York and London. She also serves as a consultant to several museums through her firm Shepherd Lane + Associates.
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“PAFA’s collection is superlative and demonstrates that American art is an ever-evolving story,” Shepherd said in a statement. “The fact that the institution has been collecting contemporary art since its founding in 1805 and was America’s first fine arts school is a remarkable legacy and mission. PAFA has always been at the forefront of nurturing, teaching and collecting important works by American artists of every generation. It is an honor to build on this foundation and find bold new ways to lead the institution into its next chapter as a force in the American art world.”
Sheppard joins during a tumultuous time for the agency. Last May, the school closed its colleges and ended its degree-granting programs, which then-President Eric Pryor blamed on rising costs and low enrollment. The museum continues to offer other educational programs, including K-12 art programs and continuing education courses.
Founded in 1805, PAFA has many legendary alumni, including artists Mary Cassatt, Robert Henri, Thomas Eakins, Alexander Milne Calder, Alexander Stirling Calder and Mother Goose illustrator Jessie Wilcox Smith.
This year, PAFA will reopen the iconic building designed by Frank Furness and George Hewitt, which has been renovated to host exhibitions such as “Threaded Currents” (opening today). Future programming includes “Body and Soul: The Kohler Collection” and “Artist’s Nation.”
