Amy Smith-Stewart has been named chief curator of The Aldrich Contemporary Museum of Art in Ridgefield after nine years acting first as curator and most recently as senior curator. She succeeds Richard Klein, who retired after more than 30 years at the museum.
Smith-Stewart said, “It is a tremendous honor to be the first woman to lead The Aldrich”™s exhibitions department. The Aldrich has a long history of supporting visionary artists at critical points of their careers. During my nine-year tenure, the curatorial vision for the museum has continued to grow with more surprising and ambitious exhibitions and significant publications.”
Cybele Maylone, Aldrich executive director, said, “For almost 10 years, Amy Smith-Stewart has been a central voice in The Aldrich”™s exhibition programming, partnering with artists on shows that have captured the attention of our audience and critics alike.”
Smith-Stewart began her career as a curator at P.S.1. Contemporary Art Center (now MoMA PS1). She was curatorial advisor for the Mary Boone Gallery, has organized exhibitions at Socrates Sculpture Park and the Noguchi Museum, and has served on the faculty at the School of the Visual Arts, MFA Fine Arts department and the Sotheby”™s Institute of Art.
Founded by Larry Aldrich in 1964, The Aldrich is one of the oldest contemporary art museums in the United States, and one of the few independent, noncollecting institutions in the country and the only museum in Connecticut solely dedicated to the presentation of contemporary art.
