NEW YORK, NY.- The American Federation of Arts (AFA), the leader in traveling exhibitions since its founding in 1909, announces the appointment of Martina Tanga as its new Director of Exhibitions and Curatorial Initiatives.

“Because of our national and international scope, Martina Tanga is the ideal choice to serve in this leadership role,” says Pauline Forlenza, the Director and CEO of the AFA. “Her global expertise sets her apart in the visual arts arena as a proven leader in her field ‒ and aligns with the ideals our organization has championed for more than 116 years.” Under Pauline Forlenza’s leadership, Martina Tanga will oversee the creation of the organization’s exhibitions that tour nationwide and globally. The AFA has toured more than 3,500 exhibitions that have been viewed by millions of people in museums in every U.S. state, and in Canada, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Tanga will direct the AFA’s curatorial teams, collaborations with partner institutions, private collectors and guest curators, and related exhibition catalogues. A comprehensive international search for this position was conducted by the AFA, led by Judith Pineiro of Judith Pineiro Consulting.

Tanga comes to the AFA from her most recent position at the Biblioteca Hertziana in Rome. Prior to this, she led the national Art Bridges Initiative at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She will begin her new role at the AFA in March. “Martina’s experience with exhibition management, leading teams, and working with museums will further the success of our mission: to propel art exhibitions to communities far and wide so that people may benefit from broader access to art. We are excited to work with Martina at this pivotal moment in the AFA’s history,” adds Forlenza.


The AFA is the leader in traveling exhibitions since its founding in 1909.

Tanga earned her Ph.D. at Boston University (History of Art and Architecture); her M.A. and B.A. at University College London (History of Art); and her European Baccalaureate at Munich European School. She has been invited as a Senior Lecturer in Museum Practices and Curatorship at Boston University; a Visiting Lecturer in Contemporary Art at College of the Holy Cross; and a Visiting Lecturer in Modern Art at UMass Boston.

“I am deeply honored to join the American Federation of Arts,” says Martina Tanga. “The AFA's legacy of spearheading access to the visual arts through transformative exhibitions is unparalleled, and I am inspired by Pauline's visionary leadership and the incredible projects already underway. I look forward to working alongside this exceptional team to build upon the organization's remarkable foundation and strengthen partnerships across the nation and internationally.”


The AFA has toured more than 3,500 exhibitions viewed by millions of people worldwide.

Through the Art Bridges Initiative at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Tanga worked with museums across the U.S. to produce exhibitions that engaged local audiences while reflecting the distinct mission and context of each institution. She developed a series of exhibitions during this period that included Between Worlds: Stories of Artists and Migrants (Munson Fine Arts Center, Utica, NY); As They Saw It: Women Artists Then & Now (Springfield Museums, MA and Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY); A Face Like Mine (Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT); and The Body Adorned: Artistry and Legacy in Ancient Americas (Springfield Museums, MA).

Martina Tanga (Photo by Jonathan Entis)

Most recently, in Rome, Tanga curated an ecological contemporary art exhibition featuring four New England female artists ‒ Learning from Trees: Artisti per soluzioni climatiche e ambientali at Sala 1, Centro Internazionale d’Arte Contemporanea.

An accomplished writer and public speaker, Tanga has contributed to numerous publications and exhibition catalogues on topics including participatory and environmental art, museum and institutional practices, postwar and 1970s Italian art, and the politics of urban space. She has presented widely on subjects ranging from public art to the future of museums. Her prior positions in the U.S. include the Rose Art Museum, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Worcester Art Museum, MIT List Visual Arts, and Skinner Auctioneers. In London, her experience includes work at the Institute of Contemporary Arts and at Hauser & Wirth Gallery.

“Martina’s talents and her contributions to this position are crucial to developing exhibitions that resonate with today’s museum audiences ‒ while continuing to advance the AFA’s vision of expanding access to art,” adds Forlenza. “For more than a century, the AFA has helped to spearhead the course of art for generations by enriching the public’s experience and understanding of the visual arts, continuing our legacy of shining a light on new artists and trends. Our longstanding commitment to touring art exhibitions, publishing exhibition catalogues with scholarly research, and developing educational programs is vital, now more than ever.”



About the American Federation of Arts

The American Federation of Arts (AFA) is the leader in traveling exhibitions in the U.S. and worldwide. One of the first to successfully tour art exhibitions on a national and international level, the organization unites American art institutions, collectors, artists, and museums.

The AFA has toured more than 3,500 exhibitions that have been viewed by millions of people in museums in every U.S. state, and in Canada, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

A nonprofit organization founded in 1909, AFA is dedicated to enriching the public’s experience and understanding of the visual arts through organizing and touring art exhibitions for presentation in museums around the world, publishing exhibition catalogues featuring important scholarly research, and developing educational programs.