HARTFORD, CONN.- The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art has announced the appointment of two new members of its senior leadership team: April Swieconek as Director of Marketing and Communications and Sharmin Mahmud Price as Director of Advancement.

Swieconek is a seasoned communications professional with a wealth of experience in both commercial and nonprofit organizations, much of it in support of art museums in the United States and internationally. Most recently she served as Director of Communications for the Yale University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, where she was responsible for developing and implementing strategic communications plans encompassing a wide range of audiences and stakeholders, coordinating content across print, digital, social and other media.

Price is a highly skilled development professional who has worked for some of the most acclaimed institutions in New York City. Most recently Price served as Director of Individual Giving at The Studio Museum in Harlem, NY, where she was chiefly responsible for designing and implementing all major gifts fundraising and development activities. She also established a new Legacy Society Planned Giving program, and directed efforts towards a Board and Patron travel program including the Museum’s recent trip to the Venice Biennale.

“April and Sharmin are superb additions to our team at the Wadsworth, and they bring extensive experience and expertise in their respective fields,” said Jeffrey N. Brown, CEO of the Wadsworth. “From the moment they’ve joined us, it has become instantly apparent that they will both make significant contributions to our work in the community, furthering connections and extending our outreach. We are fortunate to have them on board, and look forward to their playing an integral role in advancing the Wadsworth.”

Early in her career, April Swieconek was interim Director of Marketing and Communications at the Georgia O’Keefe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and subsequently served as Director of Public Relations for the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. Later relocating to London, Swieconek was Senior Public Relations Officer for The National Gallery and upon return to the United States led Communications and Marketing at the Yale Center for British Art.

“The Wadsworth has an extraordinary collection and a reputation for excellence that is widely known and greatly admired,” said Swieconek. “It is a privilege to have the opportunity to collaborate with a world-class professional team and promote the fabulous exhibitions that draw people to the Wadsworth from near and far.”

Throughout her career, Sharmin Mahmud Price specialized in relationship building, event planning, and high-level donor programs in the arts and cultural sector, as well as social impact causes. She has served as Associate Director of Principal and Major Gifts at Consumer Reports, Associate Director of Major Gifts at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Senior Major Gifts Officer at the Metropolitan Opera, and Director of Special Events at the Abyssinian Development Corporation.

“This is an exciting return to my home state, where I was raised,” said Price. “I have many wonderful childhood memories of visiting the superb collection at the Wadsworth Atheneum. It is an honor to work alongside a consummate team of professionals in strengthening the efforts of this important cultural treasure.”

Swieconek earned a BA in English and Art History, cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University and a certificate in Art History from Cambridge University. Price holds a BA in History from Clark University and earned an MA in Arts Administration, including MBA coursework, from New York University.

Earlier this summer, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art—the oldest continuously-operating public art museum in the United States—announced the selection of Matthew Hargraves as Museum Director, responsible for the artistic direction of the museum, steering collection management, exhibitions, and educational programming activities. Hargraves had served as Interim Robert H. Schutz Jr. Chief Curator at the Wadsworth since June 2021.