BAKERSFIELD, CA.- The trustees of the Bakersfield Art Foundation announced the appointment of Gilbert Vicario as the new executive director and chief curator at the Bakersfield Museum of Art (BMoA).

The Board of Trustees conducted a nationwide search for the ideal candidate. “We needed an individual with a proven track record of scholarship in the visual arts, museum leadership, and community engagement to help drive BMoA’s future success,” said Daniel Cater, chairperson of BMoA’s board of directors.

Vicario has led curatorial teams at several of the country’s most renowned museums, including the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; Philadelphia Museum of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the Phoenix Art Museum. He also organized exhibitions that have traveled to The Whitney Museum of American Art (New York), the Palm Springs Art Museum, and The Perez Art Museum, Miami, which focuses on Latinx, Latin American and Black Diaspora art and culture. Most recently, Vicario was chief curator at the Perez Art Museum, Miami, where he worked to elevate emerging and underrepresented artists across generations.

Vicario will expand the museum’s position as a hub for education and appreciation for the visual arts. “This is a moment when dialogues around creativity and inclusion are elevating the role that art plays in our lives,” says Vicario. “Museums are places where we identify and explore our common humanity. That exploration is essential to the development of vibrant, compassionate communities like Bakersfield.

Victor Gonzales, BMoA’s curator of collections and exhibitions, will work alongside Vicario. “I’m excited to partner with a curator of Gilbert’s caliber,” says Gonzales. “Together, we will work to elevate emerging and underrepresented artists, broaden our permanent collection, and expand opportunities for art education throughout our community while honoring and preserving California’s rich creative past, present, and future.”

Vicario will be introduced to BMoA members and guests at the opening of the museum’s Fall 2025 exhibitions on Thursday, September 25. He begins his role effective October 1, 2025.