PALM DESERT, CA.- Elizabeth Armstrong, The JoAnn McGrath Executive Director of Palm Springs Art Museum, today announced the appointment of Brooke Hodge to the newly created position of Director of Architecture and Design. Hodge is a curator, writer, and critic whose credentials include Deputy Director of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York; Director of Exhibitions and Publications at Los Angeles’ Hammer Museum; Curator of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles (MOCA); and Assistant Dean of Arts Programs at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, among other positions. Hodge will start at the museum on June 1, 2016.

Hodge’s curatorial credits include major exhibitions on the work of such international architects and designers as Frank Gehry, Gio Ponti, Zaha Hadid, Robert Wilson, Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons, and most recently of British designer Thomas Heatherwick. For MOCA, she organized the groundbreaking exhibition Skin + Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture, that examined the relationship between contemporary fashion and architecture and traveled to museums in Tokyo and London. Additionally, Hodge has contributed architecture, art, fashion, and design articles to The New York Times T Magazine blog, Wallpaper, and Los Angeles Times Magazine, and books related to these subjects.

“Brooke Hodge’s breadth and depth of expertise in architecture and design are on a parallel track with the growth of the museum’s assets and the resurgence of interest in these fields and their vitality of expression in Palm Springs,” said Armstrong. “Her appointment at Palm Springs Art Museum builds on the foundations laid by her predecessor curator Sidney Williams, and is in sync with the public’s broadening definitions and embrace of culture today that include art, architecture, and design in their multitude of forms – from graphic, interior, and industrial design, to landscape architecture, to furniture and fashion.”

In her new position as Director of Architecture and Design at Palm Springs Art Museum, Hodge will provide vision and leadership in implementing the museum’s commitment to architecture and design. She will oversee its exhibitions, in these disciplines as well as architectural assets such as the E. Stewart Williams designed Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion, and the Albert Frey House II. Hodge will lead the long-term shaping of the museum’s architecture and design programs, collections, and related activities.

Hodge brings her writing expertise to exhibition catalogues, brochures, and other publications. Working with museum trustees, staff, donors, and support groups, she will also provide oversight regarding the use, upkeep, and preservation of the museum’s architectural and design assets.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be joining Palm Springs Art Museum and look forward to working with Liz Armstrong and her stellar team to build on the museum's excellent architecture and design programs. It will be an honor to take the baton from Sidney Williams, who has done so much to advance our understanding of the importance of Palm Springs modern architecture,” stated Hodge. “I can't wait to be part of a thriving community that is so passionate about architecture and design.”