Philadelphia Museum of Art
Joanna Robotham appointed the John Alchin and Hal Marryatt Curator of Contemporary Art
We are pleased to announce that the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) has appointed Joanna Robotham as the John Alchin and Hal Marryatt Curator of Contemporary Art.
Robotham comes to the PMA from the Tampa Museum of Art, where she worked for the last ten years. The national search was led by MS&R Senior Search Consultant Dan Yaeger. Robotham began her new role on September 8, 2026.
Robotham will lead the exhibition, interpretation, cultivation, and strategic growth of the Museum’s contemporary art holdings. In dialogue with the PMA’s modern collection, the contemporary art collection traces the evolution of artistic experimentation across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It is comprised of approximately 1,200 works of painting, sculpture, film, and digital media and holds major works by artists including Agnes Martin, Cy Twombly, Barkley Hendricks, Jasper Johns, Sol LeWitt, Bruce Nauman, Bob Thompson, Ellsworth Kelly, Eva Hesse, and Robert Rauschenberg, among many others.
Previously, as the Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Tampa Museum of Art, Robotham oversaw the modern and contemporary collection of approximately 7,000 objects, including robust acquisitions of Caribbean, regional, and women artists. Prior to that, she held the Neubauer Family Foundation Assistant Curator position at the Jewish Museum in New York City. Robotham received her M.A. in Curatorial Studies from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College and her B.A. in Art History and Political Science from the University of Washington.
“Welcoming Joanna to the Museum’s Modern and Contemporary Art department marks an exciting new chapter for our curatorial programming,” said Daniel Weiss, the George D. Widener Director and CEO. “Her fresh perspective and vision strengthen our commitment to supporting living artists and expanding the conversations our institution can foster.”