NORFOLK, VA.- The Chrysler Museum of Art announced the appointment of Mark A. Castro as Director of Curatorial Affairs, who began work at the Museum on April 17, 2023. Following a national search, Castro was selected to oversee the Museum’s Curatorial, Conservation, and Collections & Exhibitions divisions, as well as serve on the Senior Leadership Team. In this role, he will help to shape the institution’s overall artistic program, aligning it with the Museum’s strategic priorities and mission. Working collaboratively across the Museum as both a manager and curator, Castro will creatively utilize the Chrysler’s collections and exhibitions to engage, educate, and expand visitor participation, with the objective of enlivening the institution’s offering and enhancing its reputation locally, nationally, and internationally.

“Mark brings considerable expertise to the Chrysler Museum based on his work at two of America’s great museums, the Dallas Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art,” said Erik H. Neil, Macon and Joan Brock Director of the Chrysler Museum of Art. “I look to working closely with him to shape the future of our wonderful institution.”

Castro brings to the Chrysler Museum more than 18 years of dynamic curatorial experience with an emphasis in Latin American Art. Most recently, Castro was the Inaugural Jorge Baldor Curator of Latin American Art at the Dallas Museum of Art, where he curated a diverse array exhibitions, including Flores Mexicanas: Women in Modern Mexican Art (2019), Frida Kahlo: Five Works (2021), Devoted: Art and Spirituality in Mexico and New Mexico (2021), and Octavio Medellín: Spirit and Form (2022). Castro previously held positions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where he was involved in numerous exhibitions, including co-curating the internationally acclaimed Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism, 1910-1950 (2016). Castro holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in art history from Bryn Mawr College, and a B.A. in Archaeology and Studio Art from Hamilton College. In 2022 he was a fellow at the Center for Curatorial Leadership.

“The Chrysler Museum of Art is an incredibly vibrant institution,” said Castro. “It has a rich history of producing dynamic exhibitions and engaging deeply with its community. I am thrilled to be joining its team and looking forward to working with my colleagues to continue the museum’s amazing work.”