Orgunquit Museum of American Art
Ogunquit, ME
https://ogunquitmuseum.org/
2016
Michael Mansfield appointed Director
We are pleased to announce that the Ogunquit Museum of American Art (OMAA) has appointed Michael P. Mansfield, Curator of Film and Media Arts at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), as its new Executive Director. Mansfield begins his new position on February 1, 2017. Museum Search & Reference conducted the national search.
“After a nine-month, nationwide search, we have selected an admired curator and administrator from the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.,” announced Ogunquit Museum of American Art Board President David J. Mallen. “Michael has organized and overseen a number of initiatives at the Smithsonian, leading both administrative efforts and curatorial programming. His experience and credentials are a perfect match to move our museum forward. Michael established his reputation as one of America’s foremost experts in media art at SAAM, which is known for its excellent collection of American art. He also has a proven track record of attracting financial support through grants and gifts for his projects.”
Mansfield recently oversaw programs spanning a range of thematic and conceptual topics in contemporary art, film, photography, and electronic media. During his tenure he initiated and organized new acquisitions, exhibitions, and stewardship of the electronic and moving image collections.
Mansfield received his B.A. in photography and art history from the University of Houston and he holds an M.A. in digital and electronic media from the Maryland Institute where he was a fellow with the Mount Royal School of Art. In 2007, he was appointed as an associate in the director’s office at the National Museum of Photography in the Czech Republic. He joined the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 2008, organized the museum’s Media Art Working Group, and was a founding member of the Smithsonian’s Time Based Media Art Conservation Initiative. In 2009, he established and designed the museum’s first permanent gallery space devoted to moving-image installations, and has curated several major exhibitions in a range of media at the museum.