PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART ANNOUNCES ROUND OF NEW APPOINTMENTS

Two internal promotions and one new hire have been announced at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, according to a report by Robin Scher in Artnews. Alexandra Kirtley, who was previously associate curator of American decorative arts, has been promoted to curator in her department while the associate curator of European painting and sculpture, Jennifer Thompson, has also been named curator in her area of specialty. Thompson is succeeding Joseph J. Rishel, who retired last year and currently serves as curator emeritus.

As for the addition to the museum’s team, Jessica Todd Smith, the current chief curator of American art at the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, has been hired as curator of American art and manager of the Center for American Art at the museum. She will start in her new post July 1.