Kelly Taxter has been named the next Director of the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill. Taxter joins a rising class of influential female museum leaders around the country.
“Kelly comes to the Parrish from the Jewish Museum in New York City where she was the Barnett and Annalee Newman Curator of Contemporary Art. She assumes her new role on March 22, 2021, joining a rising class of new, influential female museum leaders around the country,” read a letter from Mary Frank, President and Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees at Parrish, who made the announcement on February 3.
“I am honored to have been selected as the next director of the Parrish Art Museum,” said Taxter. “It is a great privilege to lead the institution at this critical moment of change. I look forward to joining the Parrish board and team in welcoming visitors from all backgrounds to our unparalleled building, and sharing exhibitions and collection presentations that reflect not only the artistic history of the East End, but also the bright future of the Museum.”
“After a broad search from a large pool of diverse candidates, we decided that Kelly’s depth of experience in the contemporary art world and at the Jewish Museum, where tradition melds with innovation, will enable her to infuse the Parrish with a new vitality and with a fresh perspective on the role that the Parrish can play in our complex community,” continued Frank. “We look forward to her bold vision, her strong leadership and to turning the page to a new and exciting chapter in the history of the Parrish Art Museum. Kelly will benefit from the legacy of the strong directors she succeeds and whose contributions laid the foundation for the Museum’s next phase of excellence.”
Taxter joined the Jewish Museum in 2013 where she organized major surveys of Marc Camille Chaimowicz and Rachel Feinstein. Throughout her career she has led commissions and exhibits with Math Bass, Eliza Douglas, Eva LeWitt, Alex Israel, Laurie Simmons, Peter Shire, Valeska Soares, Vivan Suter, and Lawrence Weiner. She has also co-curated an exhibition on Isaac Mizrahi.
For more info on the Parrish, visit www.parrishart.org.