Kate Taylor identifies Claudia Gould as the new director of the Jewish Museum in New York taking over from the previous director who is retiring after 30 years in the role. Gould is already planning how she’ll re-invigorate the uptown institution:
In an interview Ms. Gould, 55, repeatedly praised the legacy of Ms. Rosenbaum, 68, while also suggesting that she would shake things up ever so gently by, for example, reinstalling the display of the permanent collection on the museum’s third and fourth floors, which has been unchanged for many years.
Ms. Gould imagines changing the presentation several times a year, she said, and sometimes giving a contemporary artist or architect the opportunity to comb through the collection — some 26,000 objects, including paintings, sculptures and ceremonial objects — and create an installation.
“Certainly the mission will not change,” Ms. Gould said of her plans, “but I do come from a contemporary background, and even the historical shows or exhibitions of Judaica” may reflect that.
She said she hoped to attract new and younger audiences by mounting exhibitions of architecture, design and fashion; showing more living artists; and deepening the museum’s ties to the Jewish Theological Seminary.
She also cited more practical goals, like recreating the museum’s Web site and improving its use of technology.
Jewish Museum Picks Director from Art World (New York Times)
