Zoe Kahr has been named as the next executive director of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.
Kahr comes to Memphis from her current position as deputy director for curatorial and planning at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), where she led a staff of 80 professionals and oversaw the museum’s artistic programs. At LACMA, Kahr produced more than 300 exhibitions and developed new museum partnerships in Asia, Latin America, Australia, and the Middle East. She also conceived and launched Local Access, which expands access to LACMA’s collections through a series of exhibitions touring to museums in Los Angeles County and adjacent areas.
She joined LACMA in 2010 and was previously the assistant director of exhibition planning at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Kahr holds a B.A. in Art History (Magna Cum Laude), and an M.B.A. with a specialization in Nonprofit Management from Yale University, as well as a PhD in Art History from University College London.
She was chosen by the Board of Trustees of the museum and starts at the Brooks on November 1st, 2022. Mark Resnick, who has been acting executive director, will remain with the Brooks to facilitate a smooth transition process.
“From our first meeting with Zoe, it was clear that she was the perfect person for this role: eminently qualified, universally well-regarded among her peers, and excited to lead our museum forward,” says board chairman Carl Person. “The process undertaken by our search committee was professional, thorough, and rigorous, and concluded with the selection of the perfect candidate. Dr. Kahr’s deep curatorial experience, global perspective, and managerial acumen make her ideally suited for this position.
Kahr also led DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility) efforts for LACMA through its exhibitions and acquisitions, as well as through the development of programs to attract and retain staff from diverse backgrounds in the museum field. She oversaw the gallery design for LACMA’s 350,000-square-foot David Geffen Galleries, currently under construction, and secured significant funding for the project.
She currently serves on the boards of the French American Museum Exchange and FEAST (Food Education Access Support Together) Los Angeles. In addition, she is an Accreditation Visiting Committee Member and Museum Assessment Program Peer Reviewer for the American Alliance of Museums.
