Kaywin Feldman

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Kaywin Feldman
Born1966 (age 58–59)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationBA, University of Michigan;
MA, (archaeology) University of London;
MA, (art history) University of London
OccupationMuseum director
Years active1994 to present
TitleDirector of the National Gallery of Art
Term2008 to 2019

Kaywin Feldman is an American museum administrator and director of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Named on December 11, 2018, Feldman took over from Earl A. Powell III in March 2019. She is the National Gallery of Art's first woman director.

Contents

Childhood and education

Feldman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1966. [1] Feldman's father was in the military, and the family moved often. They lived in or near Boston; Cleveland, Ohio; Washington, D.C. (she attended high school in Silver Spring, Maryland), and London in the United Kingdom. [2] [3] She was exposed to many museums in her childhood, [2] and developed an interest in archaeology. She obtained a bachelor's degree in classical archaeology from the University of Michigan and a master's degree from the Institute of Archaeology of the University of London. She also obtained a master's in art history from the University of London's Courtauld Institute of Art, writing her thesis on 16th-century Flemish art with a particular focus on representations of satyrs. [2] [4] While studying in London she worked at the British Museum. [2]

Professional career

When she was 28, Feldman became director of the Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science. [5] From 1999 until 2007 Feldman was director of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. [3] In 2008 she became director and president of the Minneapolis Institute of Art. [6] During her tenure, she expanded the collection and attendance doubled. [7] Digital access was emphasized, and social justice and equity programs were adopted. [8] [9] Upon being selected by the National Gallery, she resigned her offices at the Minneapolis Institute with her last day set on March 1, 2019, [10] and assumed her new position in Washington ten days later. [11] She is the NGA's first woman director. [7]

Feldman previously served as president of the Association of Art Museum Directors and as chair of the American Alliance of Museums. [7] [12]

Views on women in the arts and in museum professions

On February 4, 2020, Feldman participated in a public conversation at the Brooklyn Museum titled "Women Leaders in the Arts" during which she claimed that "art museums, the arts, and art faculties at universities" have become "so predominantly filled with women" that hiring men in these fields has become a priority. She added, "of course all studies show that when a profession becomes 'pink-collared,' whether you wear a pink collar or not, salaries go down." [13] [14] The Brooklyn Museum forum is one of at least four occasions when Feldman has stated publicly her view that too many women work in museums, where their growing presence threatens the status and compensation of museum professionals. [15] [16] [17] This fallacy has been disproved but persists in the museum field, where it reflects stubborn biases against women, and working-class women in particular. [18]

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References

  1. ↑ Maneker, Marion (11 December 2018). "National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC Names Kaywin Feldman Its Fifth Director". Art Market Monitor. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Gihring, Tim, "Prize Acquisition". Minnesota Monthly , September 18, 2008.
  3. 1 2 Stapley-Brown, Viktoria, "National Gallery of Art in Washington hires its first female director". The Art Newspaper , December 11, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Kaywin Feldman". Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
  5. ↑ "Kaywin Feldman Becomes the First Woman to Direct the National Gallery of Art in Washington". artnet News. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  6. ↑ "Kaywin Feldman Named Director of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts". www.artforum.com. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 Pogrebin, Robin (11 December 2018). "National Gallery of Art Chooses First Female Director". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  8. ↑ Kerr, Euan, "Mia's director will leave to head National Gallery", Minnesota Public Radio News , December 11, 2018.
  9. ↑ McGlone, Peggy, "The National Gallery of Art will have a female director for the first time in its history", The Washington Post , December 11, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Thank you, Kaywin Feldman", Mia
  11. ↑ "National Gallery of Art Picks Kaywin Feldman as Next Director", ARTnews , December 11, 2018
  12. ↑ "National Gallery of Art in Washington hires its first female director". theartnewspaper.com. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  13. ↑ "Conversation: Women Leaders in the Arts". 31 January 2020.
  14. ↑ "What Are the Biggest Challenges Facing Museums Today? Three Directors Commiserate on the 'Culture of Meanness' and Other Issues". 5 February 2020.
  15. ↑ Feldman, Kaywin. "Power, Influence and Responsibility, Kaywin Feldman at the 2016 AAM Meeting". Alliance Blog. American Alliance of Museums. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  16. ↑ Feldman, Kaywin. "Women's Locker Room Talk: Gender and Leadership in Museums". Alliance Blog. American Alliance of Museums. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  17. ↑ Callihan, Elizabeth; Feldman, Kaywin (2018). "Presence and Power: Beyond Feminism in Museums". Journal of Museum Education. 43 (2): 181–82. doi:10.1080/10598650.2018.1486138.
  18. ↑ Lessing, Lauren (December 2024). "The myth of 'pink collaring': blaming women for pay inequity in art museums". Museum Management and Curatorship: 1-15. doi:10.1080/09647775.2024.2431898.
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