New Director of Pitzer Art Galleries

Dear Pitzer Community:

I am pleased to announce that the new Director of Curatorial Affairs and Pitzer College Art Galleries will be Pitzer alumna Emily Butts (class of 2015); Emily’s first day here is Monday, July 15, 2024.  In addition to her Pitzer BA in Art History and English and World Literature, Emily earned a MA in Art History from the University of Texas at Austin with focus on modern and contemporary art of the Americas, particularly Latinx art.  While a student at Pitzer, Emily assisted with exhibitions in the Pitzer galleries.  Since graduating from Pitzer, she has served as a Curatorial Assistant at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and was also the Assistant Director at the Lawndale Art Center in Houston, TX.  Since 2020, Emily has served in several different roles at the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts in Los Angeles, including as Exhibition Project Manager. 

Emily looks forward to her homecoming to Pitzer, and to bringing together her academic training and her experiences as an administrator, curator, and exhibition project manager.  She plans to continue to connect the Pitzer Galleries and exhibitions with academic programming and courses, and seeks to develop and stage exhibitions that amplify diverse voices in art and museums.    

I thank the current Galleries staff, Chris Michno, Christy Johnson, and Michal Wisniowski, for their hard work, patience, and persistence in implementing Galleries programming and exhibitions during the search process.  I also want to recognize the time and insights of the Advisory Search Committee, including Tessa Hicks Peterson, Jesse Lerner, Jessica McCoy, Erin Curtis (Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Director of the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery at Scripps College), and student Evie Burrows White, as well as thank community members who provided feedback on the finalists who visited campus at the end of the semester.  Finally, I extend a special thank you to Marie Pinedo and Lauren Navar from Pitzer HR for helping to guide this search to a successful conclusion.