NEW BRITAIN, CONN.- Michelle Hargrave will begin her tenure as Deputy Director at the New Britain Museum of American Art on May 1, 2017. Hargrave joins the NBMAA with seventeen years of experience leading complex exhibition projects, international partnerships, and institutional development.

As Deputy Director, Hargrave will work closely with Director and CEO, Min Jung Kim, to implement and manage programs and projects critical to the financial and curatorial vitality of the institution. She will develop and coordinate overall development strategies and help support the Director’s efforts to implement a dynamic exhibition program at the NBMAA. “We are delighted to welcome Michelle to the New Britain Museum of American Art as Deputy Director as her expertise will be a key asset in the continued growth and success of our museum,” said Director and CEO, Min Jung Kim.

In her most recent position as the Curator and China Initiative Project Director at The American Federation of Arts in New York, Hargrave has worked with internationally renowned collections, institutions, and curators in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia to develop and implement traveling art exhibitions at multiple domestic and international venues. While there, she established and managed partnerships with the Brooklyn Museum; High Museum of Art, Atlanta; and National Gallery of Art, DC; and internationally, with the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth; Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto; Birmingham Museums Trust; École des Beaux-Arts Paris; Glasgow Museums; Nanjing Museum; among others. She also spearheaded AFA’s China Initiative, which fosters partnerships between American and Chinese museums. Prior to joining the AFA in 2011, she worked as Associate Curator at the Bard Graduate Center in New York City.

Michelle stated, “it is an honor to have the opportunity to serve as Deputy Director at an institution with such an important history and collection as well as a strong commitment to the community. I look forward to working with Min Jung Kim and the NBMAA team as the Museum develops in exciting new directions, moving its programming and collections into a more national and international arena and expanding the discourse around American art.”

Hargrave holds an M.A. from the Bard Graduate Center in in the history of decorative arts, design, and culture. In addition, she is involved with a number of professional organizations, serving as a board trustee for the Association for Art Museum Curators and American Friends of Attingham. From 2012-15, she was a member of the American Alliance of Museums China Program Steering Committee, a team that planned sessions and activities for Chinese museum professionals at the annual meeting.