Noguchi Museum Director Jenny Dixon Announces Retirement

Jenny Dixon, director of the Noguchi Museum in New York, announced that she will retire from her position at the end of this year.

The Noguchi Museum, along with the Isamu Noguchi Foundation, was founded in 1985 by the artist Isamu Noguchi, who was one of the most well-known Japanese sculptors of the 20th century. The museum was designed by the artist, and holds a permanent collection of his works that are presented in rotating expositions. Its current exhibition is titled “Solid Doubts: Robert Stadler at the Noguchi Museum” and shows Stadler’s work alongside sculptures by Noguchi.

Dixon has been the director of the Isamu Noguchi Foundation (and its museum) since April 2003, and she has played a key role in the museum’s transformation from a private establishment to a public institution that became part of the Alliance of American Museums in 2016. The renovation of the facility—a multi-stage effort to improve its structural integrity and accessibility, and included additions to bolster its public program—cemented its position in New York’s art institution scene and also led to international recognition. Dixon was also the driver behind the digitization of the Noguchi collection, which made the artist’s works and research materials widely accessible.

After Dixon joined the Isamu Noguchi Foundation, she initiated special exhibitions and rearranged the permanent collection to communicate Noguchi’s work in a contemporary context. Under her directorship, the Museum has hosted a variety of public engagement projects, including talks, school programs and workshops.

Dixon is also a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors, and is the vice president for governance of non-profit organization ArtTable’s board of directors.

Rosa Rissler is an editorial intern at ArtAsiaPacific.

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