CAMBRIDGE, MASS.- The Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts announced Kate McNamara as the new Interim John R. and Barbara Robinson Family Director. A dedicated curator, educator, and arts advocate, McNamara brings a wealth of experience in contemporary art leadership and public engagement.

Kate M. McNamara is a curator, educator, and author based in Providence, RI. She is the founder of ODD-KIN, a contemporary art space in East Providence, and Executive and Creative Director of My HomeCourt, a nonprofit revitalizing city parks through collaborations with contemporary artists. McNamara co-founded the Warhol Foundation funded regional Interlace Grant Fund and is a Visiting Critic at the Rhode Island School of Design and Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

Previously, McNamara was Curator-at-Large and Interim Director at Providence College Galleries and from 2015-2019, Director of Galleries and Exhibitions at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. She curated significant exhibitions and large-scale projects with artists such as Kenzi Shiokava, Polly Apfelbaum, and Anna Craycroft. McNamara also served as Director and Chief Curator at the Boston University Art Galleries, organizing exhibitions with a range of artists including Leidy Churchman, Vlatka Horvat, and the collective Destroy All Monsters. She co-founded Cleopatra’s, a former alternative project space in Brooklyn, and held curatorial roles at MoMA PS1 and Participant, INC.

McNamara holds an MA from The Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College.

“I am excited to step into this role at the Carpenter Center during this transitional moment. I look forward to supporting the faculty, staff, and artists while building on the institution’s legacy of experimental, boundary-pushing artistic practices and exhibitions."

The Carpenter Center extends its gratitude to Dan Byers for his contributions and leadership and looks forward to beginning its next chapter.