The Board of Directors of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAM) announced the appointment of Lisa Melandri as incoming Director. This decision follows a five-month international search. Melandri, currently the Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Programs at the Santa Monica Museum of Art (SMMoA), will assume her new position in August 2012.
“We are thrilled that Lisa will join CAM as we near the tenth anniversary of our building,” said David Obedin, Chairman of the Board. “Given her experience and success, I am confident that she will lead the Museum into an exciting new chapter of growth and development.”
Melandri has served in a managerial and curatorial capacity at the Santa Monica Museum of Artsince 2001, when she was named Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Programs. During her tenure, SMMoA has grown significantly in scope and size, nearly doubling its staff and operating budget (to $2.2 million), and has increasingly received national and international recognition, respect, and critical acclaim.
“I am tremendously excited for this new opportunity and challenge to make CAM ever more relevant and important to the global world of contemporary art,” stated Melandri. “I look forward to working with the extraordinary board and staff to transform the Museum into an essential space for discovery, providing exhibitions and programs that inspire, delight, teach, surprise, and embrace each visitor. I am thrilled to become a part of the St. Louis community, and eager to learn about and participate in the cultural richness of the city.”
“I could not be happier for Lisa. It gives me great pleasure to have provided the context for a brilliant young person to launch her career,” said SMMoA Executive Director ElsaLonghauser.
Board member Dwyer Brown has served as Interim Director since December 2011, when former Director Paul Ha departed to become the Director of MIT’s List Visual Arts Center in Cambridge, MA. CAM engaged Linda Sweet of Management Consultants for the Arts, Inc. to facilitate the search. Brown will continue to serve as Interim Director until Melandri’s arrival at the Museum in August.