NEW YORK, NY.- The Board of Trustees of the American Folk Art Museum today announced the appointment of Anne-Imelda Radice as its new director. Dr. Radice, a widely respected cultural sector veteran, brings to the position more than thirty-five years of experience as a leader and as an artistic visionary. In her career, she has served in various capacities including curator, museum director, government official, association director, and advisor for public and private cultural institutions. Her most recent government position was as Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, where she served in both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations.

“We are incredibly excited to have Anne as our new director. She has deep experience and is widely admired in the field. We believe she is the ideal person to lead us,” said Monty Blanchard, President of the Board of Trustees. “This has been a dynamic and positive year for us at the Museum, and we are extremely fortunate to have found a leader of Anne’s quality to join us and to help us achieve the next level. As both an artistic voice and an administrative leader of cultural institutions, Anne has the vision and experience we need to propel us in our continued growth.”

“Having served as both a director and a curator, I have long been impressed with American Folk Art Museum’s collection and its presentation,” said Anne Radice. “The work the Board and staff have done to re-chart the Museum’s course has been gutsy and inspiring, and I am honored to join and have the responsibility of leading their team. I have tremendous respect for curator Stacy Hollander, who has one of the strongest curatorial visions in the field, and I look forward to working with the entire institution as we maintain our strong presence in New York City and expand our museum’s role as the preeminent voice of, and resource for, folk art and the contemporary art of the self-taught in the country.”

“Anne is a natural leader. She is willing to make bold decisions and has a genuine passion for the arts. All of this has made her an asset to the American museums community for more than thirty years,” said Ford W. Bell, president of the American Alliance of Museums (formerly the American Association of Museums). “Anne’s experience in Washington combined with her experience in the private sector give her a uniquely diverse background, and I have no doubt we will be hearing about how the institution is flourishing under her tenure for years to come.”

In addition to her work at IMLS, Dr. Radice’s experience includes serving as Acting Assistant Chairman for Programs at the Humanities Endowment and as the Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the United States Department of Education and Chief of the Creative arts Division of the United States Information Agency. Dr. Radice was also previously the first Director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts; Curator of the U.S. Capitol, Office of the Architect of the U.S. Capitol; and Assistant Curator, National Gallery of Art. Dr. Radice holds a PhD from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MBA from The American University, an MA from Villa Schifanoia School of Fine Arts, Florence and an AB from Wheaton College. She currently serves on several boards, including those of the African Art Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, Historic Gettysburg Foundation, the College Art Association, the Tom Lea Institute, and the Police Museum in New York City. Among her awards are the US Presidential Citizen’s Medal, the Forbes Medal, and the Heritage Preservation Award.

The American Folk Art Museum, anchored in New York City’s Lincoln Center neighborhood, is America’s premier institution devoted to the aesthetic appreciation of traditional folk art and creative expressions of contemporary self-taught artists from the United States and abroad. The Museum boasts a comprehensive collection of folk art dating from the eighteenth century to the present, and collaborates with other museums to expand its reach across the country.

Anne-Imelda Radice, PhD, has more than thirty-five years of expertise in the cultural and non-profit worlds as a curator, administrator, and director. Prior to her appointment as Director of the American Folk Art Museum, she served as a principal in an international public affairs company and later advised private clients (museums, universities, foundations, and other charities) on a variety of strategic matters.

Radice served as the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the largest federal cultural agency (18,000 museums and 123,000 libraries), where she was appointed by President George W. Bush in December 2005 and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March 2006. During her tenure, IMLS awarded grants totaling $1 billion dollars and received budget increases each year. At the Institute, she created and provided leadership for ‘Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action,’ a national conservation initiative designed to raise public awareness. The initiative included a National Summit, four forums on conservation across the country, the distribution of three thousand Conservation Bookshelves, collaborative state planning grants, and a resource laden website and international component.

Radice forged partnerships with the National Endowment for the Arts in The Big Read, an initiative designed to restore reading to the center of American culture, and with the National Endowment for the Humanities in Picturing America, an initiative that brings copies of masterpieces of American art into libraries and classrooms nationwide

Among the many honors she has been awarded, Radice received the Forbes Medal for Distinguished Contribution to the Field of Conservation from the American Institute of Historic and Artistic Works. In December 2008, President George W. Bush awarded Radice the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second highest honor that can be conferred on a civilian, in recognition of her exemplary service to the nation.

Prior to joining IMLS, Radice was the Acting Assistant Chairman for Programs at the Humanities Endowment; the Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the United States Department of Education; and Acting Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. She also served as Chief of the Creative arts Division of the United States Information Agency; Acting Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts; the first Director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts; and Curator of the U.S. Capitol, Office of the Architect of the U.S. Capitol; and Assistant Curator, National Gallery of Art.

She holds a PhD from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; an MBA from American University; and an AB from Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts. Radice also has an MA from the Villa Schifanoia in Florence, Italy. She has written and lectured widely on Italian architecture, painting, The United States Capitol, individual artists, conservation, exhibit design, and management.

She currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of The African Art Museum; Smithsonian Institution; Historic Gettysburg Foundation; The College Art Association; The Tom Lea Institute; and the Police Museum, New York City.