CHICAGO, IL.- Jenny Gibbs announced that she will be stepping down as Executive Director of Elmhurst Art Museum at the end of the summer to join Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York. Gibbs will maintain a position at EAM as Consulting Director of Exhibitions and Programs. The EAM Board of Directors is nearing completion of the search process and a new Executive Director will be announced later this summer.

In 2014, Gibbs became the Museum’s fourth Executive Director, leading the institution through a period of significant growth. Museum attendance for its well-reviewed exhibitions more than doubled and donations increased 30% as Gibbs secured several major gifts and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Graham Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

“Jenny was the rare talent with the skill and vision we needed to lead Elmhurst Art Museum into the future while honoring our roots in the community,” says Karen Matusinec, President of the Board of Directors. “By searching out world-class guest curators and visiting artists, developing innovative and popular exhibitions, and establishing a strong and expanded board of trustees, Jenny has breathed new life into the Elmhurst Art Museum. As we celebrate our 20th anniversary in 2017 we are positioned well for the next 20 years.”

“It has been a privilege and an honor as well as a great pleasure to shepherd this institution from a challenging climate into a stronger position,” says Gibbs. “I love Elmhurst, this museum and all of our supporters and I am thrilled that I will be able to see some of the projects under way through to completion as I transition into my new role with the Sotheby’s Institute of Art. I look forward to bringing my expanded network through my work with Sotheby’s to Elmhurst, with new and exciting programs and exhibitions.”

Gibbs organized popular exhibitions including David Wallace Haskins: Presence, Playboy Architecture: 1953 to 1979, Blow Up: Inflatable Contemporary Art, critically-acclaimed exhibition Kings & Queens: Pinball, Imagists and Chicago, Sense of Place and the current exhibition The Human Touch: Selections from the RBC Wealth Management Collection. Gibbs also led the ongoing restoration of the cornerstone of the Museum’s collection, Mies van der Rohe’s McCormick House (1952), and expanded the Museum’s exhibition space and public programs. In her new role as Consulting Director of Exhibitions at EAM Gibbs will continue to oversee the restoration of the McCormick House and upcoming exhibitions, including Mies in Chicago curated by Barry Bergdoll and a solo show of new work by Chicago artist, Hebru Brantley opening in Fall 2017.

As a Director of Sotheby’s Institute of Art-New York graduate program, Gibbs will serve as a member of the academic leadership, teaching and engaging with the art world on the Institute’s behalf, overseeing its programs which build upon the Institute’s internationally respected faculty and innovative curriculum.