Kate Haw moving on to National Gallery of Art

Kate Haw, Director of the Archives of American Art, will be leaving the Smithsonian at the end of December to accept a new position with the National Gallery of Art as Collections, Exhibitions, and Programs Officer.

Kate Haw, Archives of American Art

Haw has led AAA since 2013, overseeing a staff of 40 at the world’s largest documentary resource for the study of American art and setting the vision and direction for the collection, preservation, and dissemination of a growing archive of more than 30 million documents and nearly 2,500 oral histories.

During her tenure, Haw broadened the depth of the collections and refocused attention on historically underrepresented artists so that the Archives are more reflective of the totality of American art, past and present. Among her many achievements, Haw:

• Diversified collections through special initiatives focused on first-wave feminism, African American artists, Latino artists, LGBTQ artists, and a developing project with American Indian artists;
• Negotiated several high-profile acquisitions, including the Roy Lichtenstein Papers and Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Records and the Andrea Rosen Gallery Records;
• Established the Contemporary Art Advisory Group comprised of leading museum directors, curators, and scholars to significantly advance the Archives’ profile and strengthen relationships with the most important living American artists;
• Increased the Archives’ endowment by more than 300%, from $5.57M in 2013 to $22.95M, including the first two endowed positions at AAA and funds to support processing and digitization of the papers of women and historically underrepresented artists.

“Leading the Archives of American Art and being part of an institution as extraordinary as the Smithsonian will always be among the greatest honors of my career,” Haw said. “The Archives is essential not just to understanding American art, but to understanding our culture more broadly. I have learned so much from the outstanding Archives staff, our Board of Trustees, and my colleagues around the Smithsonian, and I am very grateful for having been given the privilege to contribute to the nation’s collection in such a meaningful way.”

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