Timothy Rub, the George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, announced today the appointment of Alice Beamesderfer as Deputy Director for Collections and Exhibitions, the Museum’s chief administrator for all activities related to the care, development, and documentation of the collection. She will also work closely with the director, planning and coordinating installations and developing and implementing the Museum’s program of long-term and temporary exhibitions. In addition, she will supervise the departments responsible for Special Exhibitions, Installations and Packing, Registration, Photography, and Provenance Research, and work closely with the Museum’s curators and conservators on all collections-related matters.
“Given Alice’s exceptional expertise, her broad knowledge of this institution and dedication to its mission, we could not find a better person to take on these responsibilities,” said Rub. “She has proven to be an immensely valuable resource for me during my first year as Director, and during the period of transition that led to my arrival a year ago ably ensured that the development and presentation of our exhibitions and programs ran smoothly.”
Ms. Beamesderfer has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility since she arrived at the Museum in 1987. Most recently, she served as Associate Director of Collections and Interim Head of Curatorial Affairs, which she assumed in 2008 following the death of the Museum’s previous director, Anne d’Harnoncourt, for whom she had served as Associate Director for Collections and Project Support since 2001. In 2002, Ms. Beamesderfer organized the exhibition and catalogue Gifts in Honor of the 125th Anniversary of the Museum, and collaborated with d’Harnoncourt and Carlos Basualdo on the exhibition A Conversation in Three Dimensions:Sculpture from the Collections in 2007. Earlier in her career at the Museum, she worked in a series of key positions, including coordinator for Philadelphia Art Now (1990), a three-year project to promote the work of Philadelphia artists, and as organizer of the exhibition Contemporary Philadelphia Artists (1990). Ms. Beamesderfer was Special Assistant to the Director for Projects (1990-1996) and Assistant Director for Collections and Project Support (1996-2001).
Prior to coming to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Ms. Beamesderfer was Special Assistant to the Director at the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania (1985-1986). She received her BA from The Pennsylvania State University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She is a native of Philadelphia and serves on the boards of the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial and the Foundation for Self-Taught American Artists. She lives in Media, PA.
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