Connie Butler of the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles has been named the next director of the museum, marking a landmark appointment in the world of contemporary art. MoMA PS1since 1971, has focused on experimental contemporary art.
“There are very few people in this field who are respected,” board chair Sarah Allison said in a telephone interview Monday. “She’s a proven champion for emerging artists.”
Butler, currently chief curator at Hummer, will assume a new position at the museum in Long Island City, Queens on September 26th.
Regarding the PS1, Butler said in a phone interview: “At the center of that mission is the artist, which is very important to my work.”
Butler’s appointment marks her return to New York and MoMA, where she served as Chief Curator of Drawing from 2006 to 2013.Greater New York” exhibition in 2010, followed by “WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution” (2008), making its debut at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. “Now Dig This! Art and Black His Los Angeles 1960-1980” (2012), opened at the Hammer Museum. “Mike Kelley” (2013) — originally hosted by the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam — for MoMA PS1.
“In layman’s terms, fresh from Europe to MoMA PS1, Mike Kelley’s retrospective beats all others in New York this fall,” wrote Holland Cotter in his New York Times review.
On The Hammer, Butler built on his “Greater New York” experience by working on “Made in LA.” started Held in 2012, it highlights artists from the Los Angeles area.
“They are spiritually aligned,” Butler said of the two exhibitions, adding that both “have become important to their respective communities.”
At MoMA PS1, Butler will replace Kate Fowle. Kate Fowle has resigned after his brief three-year tenure complicated by the pandemic. Foul focused outreach to his community in neighboring Queens, highlighting social justice issues, and gave the museum his MoMA-independent website.
At the time of his resignation, Fowle did not give a reason for his resignation, although it was widely perceived to be embarrassingly sudden. I was asked if I was paying for
Of her predecessor, Butler said:
Butler also shows no sign of backing down in his commitment to social justice, saying that “museum spaces like PS1 are a way for artists to move from traditional studio practices to social practices to political activism in a conservative era.” It’s an opportunity to support the radical work we’re doing.” work. “
“I have been committed to the impartial work of advocating for women artists and BIPOC artists my entire career,” Butler added, using the acronyms Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to “We look forward to continuing that with MoMA PS1.”
PS1 leaders had to navigate levels of independence from MoMA. This relationship is both mutually beneficial and potentially problematic. MoMA has an operating budget of $165 million, contributing 25% of PS1’s $11 million budget. This includes 10% of operational support and 15% of discretionary contributions from MoMA Board members and affiliated groups.
PS1 not only provides MoMA with a vision as a youthful curator, but also provides access to younger visitors.
“We are partners in bringing a vibrant program of contemporary art to life at MoMA PS1. I’m here. “We are a bigger, more stable institution in terms of organization and funding. We balance each other very well.”
Given Butler’s background in both MoMA and PS1, “she’s well suited to understand the dynamics between the two institutions and how to make the most of it,” Rowley added.
Lowry said the search process included a diverse roster of candidates and that “Connie emerged as someone with the right skills at the right time.”
Butler is the second director appointed from outside PS1. The foul was first. Fowle’s predecessor, Klaus Biesenbach, began working there as a curator in 1995, and in 2010 he took over from Alanna Heiss, the museum’s founder. Founded in 1976 as the He PS 1 Center for Contemporary Art, in 2000 he merged with MoMA, and in 2010 he changed its name to He MoMA PS1.
The museum is working on a renovation to make it more welcoming to the community, adding openings in the exterior walls and facilities to keep the courtyard open even after the building is closed. Approved $9 million in capital for the project.
Butler began his career at New York’s Des Moines Arts Center, Neuberger Museum and Artist’s Space before joining the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles in 1996.
In MOCA, Butler said, “Willem de Kooning: Tracing a person(2002), “Afterimages: Drawing by Process” (1999), “Rodney Graham” (2004).
At Hammer, Butler has held exhibitions such as Mark Bradford: Scorched Earth (2015) and Together: Selections from the Hammer Contemporary Collection (2023).
Butler received the 2020 Audrey Ilmouth Award for Curatorial Excellence from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and was a 2020 Fellow of the Center for Curatorial Leadership. He also serves on the board of the Mike Kelley Foundation in Los Angeles.
