Historian and curator Kim Sajet, who recently left her longtime post as director at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) after President Donald Trump claimed he had fired her, will be the next director of the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM), the institution announced yesterday, September 3.
Sajet will assume the new role on September 22, succeeding Marcelle Polednik, who stepped down at the end of July after nine years in the post.
Sajet’s appointment at the MAM comes several months after a public dispute with the president, who boasted that he had fired her from the Smithsonian Institution’s NPG in Washington, DC, over her so-called “inappropriate” support for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. The accusations came in the wake of Trump’s executive order targeting “improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology” and “race-centered ideology” across the Smithsonian’s museums.
At the time, Trump’s assertions that he had terminated Sajet’s employment were dubious, as the NPG is overseen by the Smithsonian, independent of any of the three federal branches. The Smithsonian subsequently clarified that only its Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, with supervision from its Board of Regents, has the authority to make “personnel decisions.” Sajet ultimately resigned from her position two weeks later, stating that the decision was “the best way to serve the institution.” She was appointed to the post in 2013 by President Barack Obama. Kevin Gover, the Smithsonian’s under secretary for museums and culture, has been since serving as the NPG’s acting director.
In a statement from the museum, Sajet expressed enthusiasm for the MAM’s “culturally vibrant and refreshingly authentic” character, as well as its history of experimental collecting and exhibition. She cited programs like the ongoing Currents series, which has spotlighted artists including Cindy Sherman, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, and Idris Khan.
“I am keen to expand on this commitment to living artists and also explore the educational opportunities that flow from the art and design of the past,” Sajet said.
Her appointment coincides with the museum’s 50th anniversary of the Bradley Collection of Modern Art, a gift of nearly 400 modern pieces including works by Wassily Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, and Mark Rothko which will be commemorated with a tribute exhibition opening at the end of this month.
“To begin my tenure during this milestone exhibition is a privilege, and a reminder of the impact that art — and the generosity behind it — can have on a community for generations,” Sajet said.