Saint Louis Art Museum Appoints First Woman Director

On June 22, the Saint Louis Art Museum announced Min Jung Kim, currently director and CEO of Connecticut’s New Britain Museum of American Art (NBMAA), as its new director. South Korea-born Kim will be the first woman, person of color, and immigrant to lead the museum in its 145-year history. She succeeds Brent Benjamin, who will retire on June 30 after 22 years at the helm. Carolyn Schmidt, the current deputy director of the museum, will facilitate as interim director until Kim officially assumes the role on September 1. 

Kim was chosen after a four-month consultation with museum staff, the St. Louis community, and other art-institution leaders. She brings to the organization nearly 30 years of experience at art museums. About her appointment, Charles Lowenhaupt, president of the museum’s board of commissioners, commented, “[Kim is] a leader who will serve as an architect for change, with a particular focus on building diversity, equity and inclusion into the fabric of our institution.” 

Kim studied art history at Wheaton College in Massachusetts and obtained her master degree from the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London. Since joining the NBMAA in 2015, she has spearheaded blockbuster exhibitions such as “The Beyond: Georgia O’Keeffe and Contemporary Art” (2019) and the ongoing “2020/20+ Women @ NBMAA” (2020–21). Kim also oversaw the recent renovation of the museum’s original site, the Grace Judd Landers House, which will reopen its doors on July 1. Prior to joining the NBMAA, Kim worked as the deputy director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University from 2011 to 2015. She also served as the director of strategic development and director of content alliances at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum for more than a decade, where she managed collaborations with museums in St. Petersburg and Vienna. She is on the boards of Hartford Healthcare, the Hartford Foundation of Public Giving, the New England Foundation for the Arts, and the American Foundation for the Courtauld Institute of Art, where she was also president. In January, Connecticut governor Ned Lamont named Kim the chair of the Connecticut Arts Council.  

About her new role, Kim said: “I am excited to build upon the museum’s strong foundational base, get to know and partner with the diverse communities of St. Louis, and work with the talented team of the Saint Louis Art Museum in taking the institution to even greater heights.”

Judy Chiu is an editorial intern at ArtAsiaPacific.

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