Kate McNamara Appointed Permanent Director of Harvard's Carpenter Center for Visual Arts

Harvard University's Carpenter Center for Visual Arts in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has officially named Kate McNamara as its John R. and Barbara Robinson Family Director. McNamara had been serving in an interim capacity since the previous year. She brings extensive experience from various arts institutions, having founded ODD-KIN, an experimental contemporary art space in East Providence, Rhode Island, and previously served as executive and creative director of My HomeCourt, a nonprofit that presents contemporary art in urban parks. In a statement, McNamara expressed enthusiasm about enhancing the center's role as a contemporary art hub and laboratory, with plans to introduce new residencies, expand exhibitions, and foster collaborations with the university and local communities. Her prior roles include interim director at Providence College Galleries, director of galleries and exhibitions at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles from 2015 to 2019, and director and chief curator at Boston University Art Galleries. She has also held curatorial positions at MoMA PS1 and Participant INC in New York. McNamara holds a Master of Arts from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and a Bachelor of Arts in curatorial studies from Hampshire College.