PASADENA, CA.- The Board of Directors of the Pasadena Museum of California Art (PMCA) is proud to announce the appointment of Christopher Mount as the Executive Director. Mr. Mount will start on August 1, 2008. Most recently Mr. Mount served as the Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs at Parsons The New School for Design. He spent fourteen years as a curator of architecture and design at The Museum of Modern Art, New York and is the former Editor-in-Chief of I.D. Magazine. He is also a professor of design history and author of numerous publications. “Christopher’s skills as a curator and as a leader are remarkable, as is his curiosity” says Reed Halladay, Chairman of the Board. “He joins the PMCA at a critical time in the museum’s history. We know that Christopher will continue to build on the successes of the past five years while exploring new approaches to the study and celebration of California art and design.”

“I first visited the PMCA when it was still under construction in 2001 and since then I have followed its progress from afar with great admiration and interest,” says Mr. Mount. “Although the PMCA is a relatively young cultural institution, I have always been impressed by its programming, which is as refreshingly creative and eclectic as any museum in the nation. I look forward to the challenge of continuing its mission. Opportunity and experimentation have long characterized California a fact that is reflected in everything from its painting and pottery to its contemporary architecture and design. The state is currently, and not so quietly, becoming an increasingly powerful center for contemporary art. It also has a remarkable history of artistic achievement, and we hope to further highlight, educate and increase scholarship in these areas.”

At Parsons, Mr. Mount supervised and developed the plan for the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center and the Anna-Marie Kellen Gallery. In addition, he conceived, moderated and curated numerous lectures, symposia and exhibitions, including “At the Parsons Table,” with former Dean Paul Goldberger, which included important art and design figures such as Frank Gehry, Chuck Close, Donna Karan and Michael Graves and the exhibition Anarchy to Affluence: Design in New York, 1974–1984. Prior to his tenure as Director, Mr. Mount taught the history of twentieth-century design and architecture for ten years to both undergraduate and graduate students at Parsons in the Masters of Decorative Arts and Design Program at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum. He has also taught at the Bard Graduate Center.

Previously, Mr. Mount was a curator in the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art where he was the curator of numerous exhibitions and author of several publications including, Modern Living, Different Roads: Automobiles for the Next Century; Stenberg Brothers: Constructing a Revolution in Soviet Design; Designed for Speed: Three Automobiles by Ferrari; Projects 35: Stephen Kroninger; and Piet Mondrian’s De Stijl Colleagues. Additionally, he has curated Arne Jacobsen: A Centenary Exhibition, at the Scandinavia House, New York, and authored a book titled Arne Jacobsen: An Obsession with Form, published by Chronicle Books. He has also contributed to numerous publications including Phaidon Design Classics 1–999 (Phaidon Press), New Scandinavian Design (Chronicle Books), Objects of Design: The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and Starck in Words (Centre Pompidou).

Mr. Mount has lectured extensively on art and design both nationally and internationally and has written about the subject for numerous general interest and professional journals including, The Chicago Tribune, Dwell, Travel and Leisure, Vogue, Architecture, Print Magazine, Automobile, Glass Magazine, I.D., Interiors, eDesign, and Graphis. He has been a Contributing Editor to Interiors, eDesign and I.D. Magazine. He received his B.A. in Art History from Columbia College, Columbia University, where he was Joe and Emily Lowe Art History Fellow.

Christopher Mount replaces Wesley Jessup, Founding Director of the PMCA who currently serves as the Executive Director of the Boise Art Museum. The mission of the PMCA is to present the evolution of California art and design through exhibitions, and to explore the cultural dynamics and influences that are unique to California in all media. Construction of the museum began in December 2000 and the completed facility opened its doors to the public in June 2002. Designed by the Los Angeles architecture firm MDA Johnson Favaro Architecture and Urban Design, the museum is housed in a three-story, mixed-use facility and features 8,000 SF of gallery space. Jenkins Shannon, who has served as the Acting Director since Wesley Jessup’s departure, will continue as Associate Director of the museum.