DETROIT, MICH.- MOCAD announces a major gift of support, and our first named position - the Susanne Feld Hilberry Senior Curator at Large, currently held by Jens Hoffmann. MOCAD Board President, Marsha Miro, made the announcement Saturday, December 12, 2016 at the Susanne Hilberry Gallery in Ferndale, during the opening of 39 Years/46 Artists an exhibition honoring Susanne’s work as a gallerist. Miro noted that the position was endowed by the Susanne Feld Hilberry Endowment for the Arts.

Executive Director Elysia Borowy-Reeder says, "naming leadership positions at MOCAD is a high priority for the Museum. We are especially pleased that our first named position honors Susanne because she was critical to the founding of MOCAD. Endowing the position ensures that MOCAD has support for pursuing its aim to be the epicenter of contemporary art and culture in Detroit.”

The Susanne Feld Hilberry Endowment for the Arts was created by the trustees of Hilberry's estate to support her interest in contemporary art. The Endowment directors made the decision to endow the MOCAD Senior Curator at Large position to honor her deep commitment to contemporary arts and acknowledge the effort she put into MOCAD’s establishment.

Hilberry was devoted to Detroit as well as to the visual arts. She held a degree in art history from Wayne State, and later studied for her masters in architectural history at Yale. After graduate school, Hilberry returned to Detroit where she became deeply involved in the arts of the city, a dedication that continued throughout her life.

During Hilberry’s almost 40 years in business, a milestone only a few art dealers have reached, she was praised for having a sharp eye for emerging talent, and for balancing exhibitions of established artists with emerging artists. Hilberry was often was the first—and often the only—gallery to feature work by once emerging artists who are now leading figures in the art world. The list of artists who had one-person shows at the Susanne Hilberry Gallery is expansive and impressive including among others: Tony Smith, Shannon Goff, John Corbin, William J. O'Brien, Scott Hocking, Corine Vermeulen, Patrick Hill, Joel Shapiro, Judy Pfaff, Richard Artschwager, Lee Krasner, Gordon Newton, Alex Katz, John Rowland, Nancy Mitchnick, Lynda Benglis, Elizabeth Murray, Michael E. Smith, Kate Levant, Anne-Lise Coste, and Andrew Masullo.

MOCAD deeply appreciates that the Susanne Feld Hilberry Endowment for the Arts has chosen to endow our Senior Curator position. This naming gift to MOCAD provides a lasting tribute to Susanne Feld Hilberry—giving her the recognition and commemoration she deserves—and allows MOCAD to honor her role as a beacon for contemporary arts in Detroit.