WATER MILL, NY.- The Parrish Art Museum announced Dr. Mónica Ramírez-Montagut as the next director of the Museum. The announcement was made by Frederic M. Seegal and Alexandra Stanton, Co-Chairs of the Board of the prominent art museum, located in the Hamptons, on Eastern Long Island, NY. A former assistant curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Ramírez-Montagut was most recently the Executive Director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum of Michigan State University. She will assume her new role on July 8, 2022.
The Parrish Art Museum Board of Trustees is thrilled to announce Mónica Ramírez-Montagut as its new director at this exciting moment, as we celebrate our 10thanniversary in Water Mill and approach our 125th anniversary as a leading arts institution, said Parrish Board Co-Chairs Frederic M. Seegal and Alexandra Stanton. With a track record of transformational leadership as a museum director and proven success in key areas including strategic planning, curatorial strategy, comprehensive community engagement, and a Ph.D. in architecture, Mónicas experience and passions are completely aligned with the Parrish Art Museum, the many communities we serve, and the increasingly important role art institutions play at this critical time.
I am delighted to join the talented staff and board at the Parrish, said Mónica Ramírez-Montagut. Their entrepreneurial and bold spirit, their committment to varied communities, and their passion for deepening the field of art are remarkable. It is the honor of my life to contribute to the Parrishs vision and mission and to take the institution to the next level.
A native of Mexico, Ramírez-Montagut joined the MSU Broad Art Museum as Director in 2020 and was responsible for developing and implementing a strong interdisciplinary vision that connected the museum both to MSUs academic strengths and to broader community and global issues.
"Mónica has been very impactful during her tenure at Michigan State Univeristy, during the challenging time posed by COVID-19, and I applaud the ways in which she rose above our shared circumstances to create true joy in the exhibitions at the MSU Broad," said Teresa Woodruff, Provost, Michigan State University.
Prior to the Broad, Ramírez-Montagut served as the Director of the Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane University. During her six-year tenure, she led the museum, setting short-term direction and long-range goals while identifying changing needs and opportunities, including creating, implementing and completing all aspects of a multi-year strategic plan focused on serving diverse communities, accessibility, and institutional relevance.
In addition to the MSU Broad and Newcomb, Ramírez-Montagut has held curatorial positions at leading arts organizations including The San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA; The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT; and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY.
Throughout her career, Ramírez-Montagut has curated a wide range of exhibitions. At the Newcomb, she organized Per(Sister): Incarcerated Women of America; Beyond the Canvas: Contemporary Art from Puerto Rico; Diana Al-Hadid and Elena Dorfman: Syrias Lost Generation; Mickalene Thomas: Waiting on a Prime-Time Star; and KAWS in Dialogue: Karl Wirsum & Tomoo Gokita.
Projects at the San Jose Museum of Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Aldrich, and other institutions include: Around the Table: food, creativity, community; Claiming Space: Mexican Americans in US Cities; and Cai Guo Qiang: I Want to Believe. Architecture exhibitions include: Frank Lloyd Wrights Guggenheim Museum: Restoring a Masterpiece; Zaha Hadid; the upcoming Zaha Hadid Design; and Hope Gangloff: Love Letters.
Ramírez-Montagut is a prolific author; select publications include: Erik Parker: Colorful Resistance; KAWS; Revisiting the Glass House: Contemporary Art and Modern Architecture; Claiming Space: Mexican Americans in U.S. Cities; Prairie Skyscraper: Frank Lloyd Wrights Price Tower; and Building It Wright!a bilingual coloring book for children.
A frequent juror and panelist, Ramírez-Montagut served on the US Federal Advisory Committee on International Exhibitions (Venice Biennale), Washington DC., the organization that selected Simone Leigh, first black woman to represent the US and winner of the Venice Biennale Golden Lion.
Ramírez-Montagut earned a Ph.D. in Theory and History of Architecture from the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, ETSAB, Barcelona, Spain; a Master of Architecture from the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, ETSAB, Barcelona, Spain; and a Bachelor of Architecture from Universidad Ibero Americana, Mexico City, Mexico.