September 12, 2007
Hirshhorn Leader Steps Down
Olga Viso, who has served as director of the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden for two years, announced today she'll be stepping down at the end of the year. Viso will be taking her experience and successes in running the Hirshhorn to the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.
The expert on contemporary Latin American art began as an assistant curator at the museum 12 years ago, and quickly climbed the ladder as her skill in organization, event planning, and curatorial work shined. Viso is credited for bringing widely publicized events to the Hirshhorn, including the After Hours series, which have attracted new, younger crowds.
Under her artistic direction, the Hirshhorn has barreled forward into the kind of experimental art usually only seen in privately owned galleries, not the halls of an established museum. She has encouraged performance, video and installation art to have a significant presence in the venue, and assured that viewers and artists can interact through regular "Meet the Artist" and other events.
The Hirshhorn has remained relatively shielded from the Smithsonian Institution's turmoil due largely to Viso's leadership, with both her excitement for future events and her success at fundraising. She'll begin her tenure as Director of the Walker Art Center, which recently doubled in size and boasts the nation's largest urban sculpture park across the street, next January. The Hirshhorn's search for a new directly will begin immediately.
|
wow, i didn't think the dorothy hammil haircut worked on anyone, but she looks good!
And DC will be getting a little less gorgeous.
Rowr!
That's too bad. She made the Hirshhorn into a contemporary art museum. I don't agree, though, that she showed the kind of work that is not normally shown in art museums. Contemporary art museums in LA, SF and Chicago and New York regularly show the types of work that she was featuring in the Hirshhorn. And of course at the top of that list would be the Walker, which in many ways is the museum that first showed the value in offering a major venue for these types of work, as a way to patronize contemporary artists and draw in new visitors, and to be the catalyst for creation and innovation in its home city. I hope they are able to find someone with as much interest in the now to replace her. She was a gem at the Smithsonian. And probably had to fight many layers just to be able to do what she did. They'll love her at the Walker, especially with their fantastic new home.
As a feminist, I find the sexually objectifying comments toward Ms. Visio offensive.
That said, girl, you so fine, I'd eat the corn outta your dookie.
If only we could find the bastard that stole her collar. Maybe then she would reconsider.
If only we could find the bastard that stole her collar. Maybe then she would reconsider.
ok, is someone still reading this thread? that was EASILY the best quote of the last few months. i was thinking "what the hell", and then i went back and looked at the photo and almost fell out of my chair.
Haha, that's great....looks like she's wearing a burlap sack or something.
Now that I think of it, she kind of looks like Jennifer Beals' character on the L Word. Complete with horrible fashion.