Lyman Allyn Art Museum
Frank H. Goodyear, Ph.D., appointed Executive Director
The Lyman Allyn Art Museum (LAAM) has appointed Frank H. Goodyear, Ph.D., as its next Executive Director, effective October 26, 2026. The appointment follows an extensive national search led by MS&R Senior Search Consultant Dan Yeager and Laurie Pasteryak.
A nationally recognized museum leader, curator, scholar, and author, Goodyear comes to the Lyman Allyn following a distinguished career at the forefront of American art and museum practice. He most recently spent thirteen years as Co-Director, with Anne Collins Goodyear, of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. Under their leadership, the Museum acquired more than 5,000 works of art, including major gifts of contemporary art and photography, and received major grants and recognition. Goodyear also helped establish the New Media Arts Consortium, enabling academic museums in New England to jointly acquire and share video and digital artwork.
Before joining Bowdoin in 2013, Goodyear served as Curator of Photographs at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. He holds an A.B. from Princeton University and an M.A. and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. His scholarship focuses particularly on the history of photography and American art. He has curated more than 40 exhibitions and is the author or co-author of thirteen books and exhibition catalogues.
Goodyear joins the institution at a pivotal moment. He succeeds Sam Quigley, who announced his retirement earlier this year following twelve years of transformative leadership. LAAM is currently completing the development of Lyman Allyn Park, a twelve-acre urban green space designed to extend the Museum’s mission beyond its walls. The project fulfills founder Harriet Upson Allyn’s vision of a park and museum for the “free use and enjoyment” of the people of New London. It will create new opportunities for sculpture, environmental learning, public programs, and community gatherings.
“We could not be more pleased to welcome Frank Goodyear to the Lyman Allyn,” said Eliza Sharp, President of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. “Frank brings an extraordinary combination of curatorial expertise, scholarship, leadership, and an uncommon understanding of the role museums play in the life of their communities. His experience at Bowdoin and the Smithsonian, his national network of colleagues, and his commitment to making museums welcoming and relevant to broad audiences make him an exceptional fit for the Lyman Allyn at this important moment in our history.”