In a move that proves one institution's loss is another's gain, Kate Kraczon, a curator with a serious knack for spotting groundbreaking art, has been named the new chief curator at the Montclair Art Museum.
Kraczon, who previously helmed exhibitions and curation at Brown University's David Winton Bell Gallery, found herself among those laid off late last year. Because, apparently, even prestigious university art galleries aren't immune to the corporate chop.
Starting June 15, Kraczon steps into shoes previously worn by Gail Stavitsky since, oh, 1994. Talk about a long run. Before Brown, Kraczon sharpened her eye at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania.
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The Montclair Art Museum isn't just getting new curatorial vision; they're also welcoming Todd Caissie as director. Caissie, an enrolled member of the Osage Nation, previously directed Canada’s New Brunswick Internment Camp Museum. Before that, he was an executive search consultant in Tokyo and New York, which sounds like a career path only an art museum could truly appreciate.
Kraczon is, understandably, thrilled. She's particularly keen to work with Caissie, whose vision apparently aligns so perfectly with hers that it's practically a curatorial cosmic event. Her plan? To infuse the museum with a contemporary, artist-focused, and collaborative spirit.
She's also big on public engagement, education, and pushing the envelope on Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion — with a special emphasis on Indigenous artists and communities. Which, if you think about it, is both impressive and slightly terrifying for anyone who prefers their art history strictly monochrome.
Kraczon's Power Moves at Brown
During her tenure at Brown, Kraczon didn't just hang pretty pictures. She commissioned the only U.S. exhibition of "Prisoners of Love" by Palestinian artists Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme. She also brought a version of French Caribbean artist Julien Creuzet's work (the same stuff that later hit the 2024 Venice Biennale) to Providence.
Then there was the new film installation by American filmmaker Elisabeth Subrin, which snagged France’s 2023 César Award for best documentary short. She also wrangled major surveys for painter Franklin Williams and exhibitions featuring artists like Jules Gimbrone, Savannah Knoop, and Faith Wilding.
Under her watch, the Bell Gallery became a social butterfly, partnering with heavy hitters like New York's Performa biennial, Nottingham Contemporary in the UK, Barcelona’s Museu d’Art Contemporani (MACBA), and Kunstinstituut Melly in Rotterdam. Because apparently, art doesn't just happen in a vacuum.
Perhaps most impressively, Kraczon took the Bell Gallery's budget from a modest $180,000 in 2022 to a robust $600,000 for 2025. She also conjured a $1.2 million endowment for public art out of thin air (or, you know, foundations like Teiger, Andy Warhol, and Terra Foundation of American Art). Let that satisfying number sink in.
Founded in 1914, the Montclair Art Museum was one of the first U.S. museums to champion American art and built a significant collection by Native artists. It even turned its grounds into an arboretum in the 1940s. With over 12,000 works by names like Winslow Homer, Barbara Kruger, and Kara Walker, it’s clearly ready for a fresh perspective. And now, it's getting one.
