Lynda Roscoe Hartigan Named Director of Smithsonian American Art Museum

Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, who currently serves as the executive director and CEO of the Peabody Essex Museum, has been named the new director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC. This appointment comes amidst political pressure from the Trump administration concerning a race-related exhibition. Hartigan, who started her journey at the Smithsonian in the 1970s and was chief curator in 2003, takes over from Acting Director Jane Carpenter-Rock. The shortlist for the 2026 Turner Prize features Simeon Barclay, Kira Freije, Marguerite Humeau, and Tanoa Sasraku, with the winner to be revealed in December. Additionally, Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama has been awarded the 2026 Arnold Bode Prize. Mia Bogyo has been appointed as deputy director of Indigo Arts Alliance, while four artists from the Bay Area have been chosen for the Rainin Arts Fellowship. Print Center New York has also announced its fourth annual New Voices cohort. Furthermore, Johns Hopkins University has acquired Lindsay Adams's diptych "Kind of Blue (1959)."