NEW BRITAIN, CT.- The New Britain Museum of American Art announced the appointment of Lydia Holleck as the inaugural Hamm Family Curatorial Fellow, a newly established, full-time fellowship designed to advance collections-based research, exhibition development, and public engagement.

The establishment of the Hamm Family Curatorial Fellowship marks an important strategic investment in the Museum’s permanent collection—one of the most distinguished holdings of American art in the country. By dedicating focused scholarly attention to works in storage, the Fellowship ensures that exceptional and often under-exhibited objects are thoughtfully researched, contextualized within the American story, and brought into public view.

This sustained culling from the permanent collection strengthens the Museum’s ability to tell richer, more nuanced stories of American art; activates the depth and diversity of its holdings; and reinforces its commitment to stewardship, access, and scholarship. The Hamm Family Gallery will serve as a dynamic platform for these discoveries, offering visitors fresh perspectives and regularly rotating installations drawn directly from the vault.

“This Fellowship represents an extraordinary investment in the life of our permanent collection,” said Brett Abbott, Executive Director and CEO. “Too often, works of great merit in the vault cannot receive the sustained scholarly attention they deserve as a result of limited staff resources. I am deeply thankful to the Hamm Family for their vision and generosity in helping us address this challenge. Their support allows us to bring forward exceptional works that might otherwise remain unseen, and will no doubt lead to a more vibrant, dynamic, and continuously evolving Museum experience for our audiences.”

Holleck joins the Museum following an intensive curatorial internship at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College with a B.A. in Art History and Geography, she brings a strong foundation in curatorial research and writing, as well as hands-on experience in exhibition preparation and collections management.

At the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, Holleck enhanced cataloguing and research within the Museum’s deep holdings, navigating historical registration files to uncover critical information beyond the database and improving access to works for teaching and education programs. She also worked with the Barnes Museum in Southington, where she researched previously unidentified objects in the early American glass collection, developed a digital catalogue, and authored weekly social media features highlighting her discoveries.

In her role as Hamm Family Curatorial Fellow, Holleck will conduct original research on works in storage, identify exceptional and under-exhibited artworks for installation, and curate up to two rotations annually in the Hamm Family Gallery. Working under the mentorship of the Curator and Head of Exhibitions and reporting to the Director of Collections & Exhibitions, she will oversee key aspects of exhibition planning and implementation, contribute to publications and marketing materials, participate in public programs, and collaborate across departments to ensure dynamic and sustainable activation of the Museum’s permanent collection.

This fellowship has been made possible by a generous contribution from the Hamm Family, who have established a fund for collections activation as part of their commitment to innovation and to the Museum's advancement as a leader in the field. It is designed to provide emerging curatorial professionals with substantive experience in scholarship, exhibition development, and public engagement while enriching the Museum’s presentation of American art.