The American Folk Art Museum has announced the appointment of Anne-Imelda Radice as its new director.
Dr. Radice, a widely respected cultural sector veteran, brings to the position more than thirty-five years of experience as a leader and as an artistic visionary. In her career, she has served in various capacities including curator, museum director, government official, association director, and advisor for public and private cultural institutions. Her most recent government position was as Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, where she served in both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations.
In addition to her work at IMLS, Dr. Radice’s experience includes serving as Acting Assistant Chairman for Programs at the Humanities Endowment and as the Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the United States Department of Education and Chief of the Creative arts Division of the United States Information Agency. Dr. Radice was also previously the first Director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts; Curator of the U.S. Capitol, Office of the Architect of the U.S. Capitol; and Assistant Curator, National Gallery of Art. Dr. Radice holds a PhD from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MBA from The American University, an MA from Villa Schifanoia School of Fine Arts, Florence and an AB from Wheaton College. She currently serves on several boards, including those of the African Art Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, Historic Gettysburg Foundation, the College Art Association, the Tom Lea Institute, and the Police Museum in New York City. Among her awards are the US Presidential Citizen’s Medal, the Forbes Medal, and the Heritage Preservation Award.
The American Folk Art Museum, anchored in New York City’s Lincoln Center neighborhood, is America’s premier institution devoted to the aesthetic appreciation of traditional folk art and creative expressions of contemporary self-taught artists from the United States and abroad. The Museum boasts a comprehensive collection of folk art dating from the eighteenth century to the present, and collaborates with other museums to expand its reach across the country.
Anne-Imelda Radice, PhD, has more than thirty-five years of expertise in the cultural and non-profit worlds as a curator, administrator, and director. Prior to her appointment as Director of the American Folk Art Museum, she served as a principal in an international public affairs company and later advised private clients (museums, universities, foundations, and other charities) on a variety of strategic matters.
Radice served as the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the largest federal cultural agency (18,000 museums and 123,000 libraries), where she was appointed by President George W. Bush in December 2005 and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March 2006. During her tenure, IMLS awarded grants totaling $1 billion dollars and received budget increases each year. At the Institute, she created and provided leadership for ‘Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action,’ a national conservation initiative designed to raise public awareness. The initiative included a National Summit, four forums on conservation across the country, the distribution of three thousand Conservation Bookshelves, collaborative state planning grants, and a resource laden website and international component. – www.folkartmuseum.org