TUCSON, AZ.- MOCA Tucson announced the appointment of Kate Green, Ph.D. as Executive Director. Green will officially begin her new role in October and will be responsible for upholding MOCA’s mission to inspire new ways of thinking through the cultivation, exhibition, and interpretation of contemporary art. Coming to Tucson from the El Paso Museum of Art, Green will bring her extensive knowledge of border communities and the international art world to Arizona, and will have the baton passed to her by MOCA’s Interim Director and Curator Laura Copelin, who will continue to serve the Museum in a curatorial capacity in 2021.
Of her appointment, Green says: “MOCA Tucson has a vibrant history with artists and local communities, and with its iconic building has long played an important role in the cultural landscape. I am thrilled to join the trustees and incredible staff to shape MOCA’s next chapter while continuing the fantastic program established by Laura Copelin. I look forward to learning from the city’s energetic creative and social justice communities and its border context, and to allowing these and urgent questions about the responsibilities of cultural institutions to inform MOCA’s growth, and expanded impact for those near and far.”
“MOCA Tucson has arrived at an important moment with the addition of Kate Green as our new Executive Director” says Board Chair Kira Dixon-Weinstein. “Kate’s commitment to growing the museum’s resources and impact is grounded in her connection to living artists, vibrant and relevant programs, and inspiring audiences. We are grateful for the leadership and growth we’ve experienced during Laura’s interim period and I personally feel that MOCA now has the best possible team with Kate at the helm and Laura continuing as Curator-at-Large. I’m looking forward to an exciting next phase where Kate’s skills will continue to build on this strong foundation and lead us into the future.”
Copelin adds, “It is wonderful to welcome Kate to Tucson to lead the talented team at MOCA. She will have much to add to the creative landscape in the city, and I know she will be a wonderful colleague and collaborator to artists and leaders in the community. I look forward to working with her to realize new commissions, exhibitions, and special artists projects for MOCA.”
As Senior Curator at the El Paso Museum of Art, Green oversaw the renovation of the museum’s galleries and reinstallation of the permanent collection, and developed its Border Initiative, working with supporters, artists, and audiences on gifts and acquisitions of pieces by Beatriz Cortez, Virginia Jaramillo, Teresa Margolles, and Leo Villareal, the Border Biennial and exhibitions involving new commissions by Andrea Bowers, Cruz Ortiz, Animales de Poder, and programs featuring Celia Álvarez-Muñoz, Guillermo Gomez-Peña, Las Imaginistas, and Postcommodity. Previously, Green directed Marfa Contemporary, where she commissioned projects with artists William Cordova and Autumn Knight. From 2004 to 2007 Green led curatorial and education departments at Artpace San Antonio, and before that worked in curatorial at MoMA PS1 and as an educator at Dia Art Foundation. Green’s writing about art appears in catalogs and also many publications, including Artforum and Frieze. Green has taught art history (Trinity University, University of Texas at Austin), was a fellow in the Museum of Fine Arts Houston’s Core Program, and holds an M.A. from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and a Ph.D. in Modern and Contemporary Art History from the University of Texas at Austin.
