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The Smithsonian announced Tuesday that Hartigan will serve as the Margaret and Terry Stent Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, effective Sept. 8. She steps down from her current post as executive director and chief executive officer of the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, on June 30 after more than 20 years of ascending leadership there.
Hartigan’s appointment marks a homecoming of sorts. She began her career at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, eventually rising to chief curator and leading internationally recognized acquisition and programmatic initiatives that expanded the museum’s holdings of modern, contemporary and self-taught artists.
She left Washington for Salem in 2003, when the Peabody Essex Museum tapped her as its first chief curator. She became deputy director in 2016 before being elevated to executive director and CEO, a role in which she launched major exhibition programs, oversaw a transformation of the museum’s collection galleries and spearheaded new areas of focus including photography, contemporary art and global fashion. Between her time at the two institutions, Hartigan also served as deputy director for collections and research and the first chief innovation officer at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada’s largest museum dedicated to art, culture and the sciences.
“Lynda is a visionary leader whose career reflects a deep commitment to American art, thoughtful scholarship and public engagement,” said Lonnie G. Bunch III, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. “Having begun her career at the Smithsonian, she returns with deep curatorial knowledge and substantial experience that will guide the museum in the years ahead.”
At the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Hartigan inherits stewardship of one of the premier collections of American art in the world. The museum holds the nation’s largest collection of New Deal art, as well as significant holdings of contemporary craft, American impressionist paintings and Gilded Age masterworks. In recent years it has focused on building its contemporary and media arts collections.
She succeeds Jane Carpenter-Rock, who has served as acting director since September 2024 and will remain at the museum as deputy director for museum content and outreach.
“The Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery is a place where art encourages meaningful dialogue and connection for audiences from the local to the international,” Hartigan said. “I am honored to help shape the museum’s next chapters and to work with its remarkable network of staff, supporters and partners to expand opportunities for people to engage with American creativity — an essential anchor for exploration and understanding in our rapidly evolving times.”
Her departure from Salem sets off its own chain of change. Kurt Steinberg, PEM’s chief operating officer and director of collection services, will serve as acting executive director and CEO beginning July 1. The board of trustees will launch a search for a permanent successor in the coming months. Hartigan will remain in her current role through June 30, working with board leadership and staff to ensure a smooth handoff.
Jennifer Borggaard, chair of PEM’s board of trustees, praised Hartigan’s tenure while acknowledging the significance of her departure.
“Lynda has been an inspiring change agent whose ability to gather people around art, experiences and multidisciplinary ideas has expanded PEM’s leadership in creativity, innovation and the visitor experience,” Borggaard said. “We will miss her greatly, and are proud that she will now bring her visionary energy to SAAM and the Smithsonian, our country’s national cultural complex.”
For Hartigan, the transition carries deep personal weight after two decades building something she clearly loves.
“I am filled with profound gratitude for the vibrant community of staff, supporters and partners who breathe life into this institution every day,” she said. “It has been the privilege of a lifetime to work alongside you to broaden perspectives and transform lives.”
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