PITTSBURGH, PA.- Lynn Zelevansky, The Henry J. Heinz II Director of Carnegie Museum of Art, announced today the appointment of Catherine Evans to the position of chief curator. Evans will work with Zelevansky in implementing the museum’s artistic mission, and unlike the past chief curators at the museum, will not be responsible for one particular department or collection. Overseeing all curatorial departments and functions, she will work with museum staff to develop and implement professional practices related to the collection, including acquisitions and management strategies. She will also work with the curators, the director, and the exhibition department in developing the exhibition program. Evans’s hiring comes at an exciting juncture at Carnegie Museum of Art, as the museum works to align staff, expertise, and resources to realize its recently adopted strategic plan, which involves building a stronger national and international profile, creating an enhanced presence in regard to digital media, and rationalizing the museum’s internal processes in light of challenges that face all museums in the 21st century. The plan emphasizes enriching people’s lives with experiences that inspire, challenge, and inform, and stresses the importance of creative thinking.

Zelevansky said, “We are at a crossroads at Carnegie Museum of Art, as we strive to make ourselves more visible locally and globally, and take a leadership role in redefining museums for the next century. Catherine will be a great asset to the museum and the city in this effort. Along with scholarly chops and extensive museum experience, she brings to the position of chief curator a background in innovative cross-departmental programming involving technology and viewer participation. She is committed to making the museum welcoming and the art accessible to all. These goals, activities, and ideas are central to our current strategic plan. I’m delighted to have her on board.”

Evans comes to the museum from the Columbus Museum of Art, which she joined in 1996. At Columbus Museum of Art, she served as curator of photography, and has also served as the chief curator. In 2001, she spearheaded the acquisition of the Photo League collection for which the museum is known nationally and internationally.

“I am thrilled to accept this position and to join Lynn and her dynamic team at a time when museums are reimagining their roles in the twenty first century,” said Evans. “Carnegie Museum of Art is perfectly poised to build on its celebrated history and to be a new model in curatorial programming and visitor engagement. I can’t wait to join Pittsburgh’s vibrant creative community.”

After serving as the museum’s chief curator, Evans stepped away from that position in 2011 to become the first William and Sarah Ross Soter Curator of Photography at Columbus Museum of Art. She served as co-author and co-curator of The Radical Camera, New York’s Photo League, 1936–1951 (Yale, 2011). Evans is a 2012 TEDx presenter and serves on the executive board of the Association of Art Museum Curators as vice president of governance. Before her tenure at Columbus Museum of Art, Evans was an assistant curator in the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal. She received her BA from Williams College.