WASHINGTON.- Estella Chung, director of collections, curator of material culture, historian, and head of oral history at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, has been appointed chief curator at the Wisconsin Historical Society. On the Hillwood staff for 12 years, she will begin her new position on March 2.

Chung joined the Hillwood staff as historian and curator of material culture in 2007 and for over a decade conducted research into Hillwood founder Marjorie Merriweather Post’s personal history, abundant good works, and the inner workings of her former homes and estates. She published the biography Marjorie Merriweather Post: The Life Behind the Luxury, which was released in October. While working on research for the biography, in 2012 she also produced the book and corresponding exhibition Living Artfully: At Home with Marjorie Merriweather Post, which detailed Post’s extraordinary three-estate lifestyle.

“At Hillwood, we all take great pride in maintaining and sharing the important legacy that Hillwood founder Marjorie Merriweather Post left for future generations,” explained Hillwood executive director, Kate Markert. “Post was one of the most influential and inspiring women of the twentieth century and through her research and writing Estella brought forth a deeper understanding of this multifaceted woman, revealing Post to be an astute business executive, deeply caring and generous humanitarian, and philanthropist. I am grateful for Estella’s work, as it underscores the importance of all we do here to further Post’s remarkable vision.”

When not writing, Chung serves on Hillwood’s management team as the director of collections, overseeing collections management, the special collections library, and the archives. Additionally, she is head of oral history, capturing the recollections of people that knew Post and visited Hillwood during her lifetime. With degrees in American Studies from the University of Michigan and Brown University, Chung has also served as curator at the Autry National Center, and the Chinese American Museum, both in Los Angeles.

At the Wisconsin Historical Society, Chung will lead the Artifact Curatorial Section within the Library, Archives and Museum Collection Division and work with the Wisconsin Historical Society’s museums and historic sites across Wisconsin.