EAST LANSING, MICH.- The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University has appointed Caitlín Doherty as Curator and Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs. Doherty—who previously served as Exhibitions and Speaker Curator at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCUQatar)—will continue to build upon Broad MSU’s ambitious program of international contemporary art, and further establish the museum as a center for education and dialogue in the visual arts.

“Caitlín Doherty comes to the Broad MSU at an exciting time in the evolution of our young museum,” said Michael Rush, Founding Director of Broad MSU. “Caitlín has worked at the forefront of the international arts community, and her experience engaging with artists, students, and members of local communities across the globe will make her an invaluable asset to our growing team.”

As Exhibitions and Speaker Curator at VCUQatar, Doherty organized major exhibitions of international contemporary art and design, including Confluence: Photographic-based work from the contemporary Middle East (2014); The Depths of Hope (2014), by Egyptian-Sudanese artist Fathi Hassan; Equilibrium (2012), by Irish sculptor John O’Connor; and The UP Factory (2012), an interdisciplinary exhibition by Amsterdam-based international design firm DROOG. Doherty also curated VCUQatar’s Crossing Boundaries Lecture Series, featuring renowned contemporary artists, designers, and leaders within the artistic community including Ellen Lupton, Joachim Sauter, Francesco Bonami, Sherin Neshat, Marina Abramović and Richard Serra.

Prior to joining VCUQatar, Doherty worked as Director of Lismore Castle Arts, one of Ireland’s leading contemporary art galleries, and taught Art History, Design History and Museum and Gallery Studies at Waterford Institute of Technology. In Ireland Doherty also directed the interdisciplinary arts and cultural initiative Artswave, and acted as Visual Arts Co-ordinator for Garter Lane Arts Centre in Waterford. She has published and lectured on contemporary art and museum practice, and holds degrees in art History and museum and gallery studies from The University of Edinburgh and The University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

“A university art museum provides a unique opportunity to work with artists at the forefront of their fields, while participating directly in the academic discourse of the wider institution. This is especially the case at the Broad MSU with such a strong focus on international contemporary art, combined with the ability to contextualize this within a significant historical collection,” said Doherty. “In just two years, the Broad MSU has already brought some of the most exciting young artists from around the world to MSU and the East Lansing community, and I look forward to building on this work and to developing a robust exhibitions program.”