WATER MILL, NY.- The Parrish Art Museum announces that its Executive Director Mónica Ramírez-Montagut, Ph.D, will be appointed by President Biden to the National Museum and Library Services Board, the advisory panel to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The appointment will be formalized at a swearing in ceremony in October. Potental candidates for the Board are identified through an extensive White House search, and selected based on their expertise and commitment to libraries and museums. With fellow Board Members, Ramírez-Montagut will advise the agency on general policies with respect to the duties, powers, and authority of IMLS relating to museum, library, and information services, as well as the annual selection of National Medals recipients.

“I am honored and humbled to be appointed to this important board at a time when it is critical to assess the current landscape of art and cultural institutions, and move the discussion forward to help shape a national pathway,” said Ramírez-Montagut. “I hope to serve as an advocate for what is needed to make museums and libraries more equitable, vibrant, relevant—and representative of all the communities we serve.”

Ramírez-Montagut was among 11 appointees, including arts institution peers Susan Lynn Gibbons, Vice Provost for collections and scholarly communication at Yale University; Amy Elizabeth Gilman, Director of the Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Cameron Kitchin, Director of the Cincinnati Art Museum; Halona Norton-Westbrook, Director and CEO of the Honolulu Museum of Art; Allison Perkins, Director of Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.




IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. It’s mission is to advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. IMLS aims to help these institutions navigate change and continue to improve their services. The agency’s strategic goals are to champion lifelong learning, strengthen community engagement, advance collections stewardship and access, and demonstrate excellence in public service. IMLS envisions a nation where individuals and communities have access to museums and libraries to learn from and be inspired by the trusted information, ideas, and stories they contain about our diverse natural and cultural heritage.

Ramírez-Montagut is a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) United States Board of Directors since 2020 and a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors since 2020. 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 in 2022.

Before joining the Parrish, Ramírez-Montagut was Director the Michigan State University (MSU) Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum and was responsible for developing and implementing an interdisciplinary vision that connected the art museum both to MSU’s academic strengths and to broader community and global issues. Prior to the MSU Broad, she served as the Director of the Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane University in Louisiana, where she implemented a multi-year strategic plan focused on serving diverse communities, and where she co-curated the national touring exhibition Per(Sister): Incarcerated Women of America.

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, she has curated a wide range of exhibitions. At MSU She organized Frida Kahlo Without Borders and Zaha Hadid Design: Untold. At the Newcomb, she organized Beyond the Canvas: Contemporary Art from Puerto Rico; Diana Al-Hadid and Elena Dorfman: Syria’s Lost Generation; Mickalene Thomas: Waiting on a Prime-Time Star; Fallen Fruit: EMPIRE; and KAWS in Dialogue: Karl Wirsum & Tomoo Gokita, among many others.

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.