Anne Helmreich is the new director of the Archives of American Art

Helmreich brings 35 years of experience in higher education and the arts to her new role.

Currently the associate director of grants programming at the Getty Foundation, Helmreich will join the Smithsonian effective Feb. 27, 2023.

The Archives of American Art fosters advanced research by accumulating and disseminating primary sources that document more than 200 years of the nation’s artists and art communities. Helmreich will oversee its Washington, D.C., headquarters and research center, New York City research center and the Lawrence A. Fleischman Gallery. She will also oversee AAA’s collections development, exhibitions and publications, including the Archives of American Art Journal, the longest-running scholarly journal in the field of American art. Additionally, Helmreich will lead the Archives’ digitization program and the stewardship of its holdings consisting of some 30 million items and an oral-history collection of more than 2,500 audio and video interviews, the largest accumulation of in-depth, first-person accounts of the American art world.

As associate director of grants programming at the Getty Foundation, Helmreich supports individuals and institutions committed to advancing the greater understanding and preservation of the visual arts in Los Angeles and throughout the world. She also represents the Getty Foundation in the LA Arts Recovery Fund, which supports small to mid-sized arts organizations in Los Angeles.

Helmreich has been awarded more than two dozen grants, published two books, edited five collections, written 19 book chapters, published 20 scholarly papers and contributed to more than half a dozen exhibition catalogs. As its new director, Helmreich aims to expand AAA’s digital offerings, foster an inclusive and diverse culture that represents the many communities and histories that make up the United States and establish the Archives as America’s preeminent storyteller for the arts.

Helmreich holds a Bachelor of Arts from Dickinson College, a Master of Arts in art history from the University of Pittsburgh and a doctorate in art history from Northwestern University.

“Anne Helmreich’s track record as a successful administrator, educator and user of the Archives of American Art made her the obvious choice to conserve this vital collection and to make its holdings even more accessible to the art world and beyond,&rduo; said Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch. “Please join me in welcoming Anne to the Smithsonian.”

Liza Kirwin, deputy director of the Archives of American Art, has served as interim director of AAA since 2019.

Related posts:

Celebrate Pride month with the Smithsonian Pride Alliance Ten Objects That Will Help You Understand Latinx History Our Smithsonian: Backyard archaeology ICYMI: Highlights from the week that was June 2 – June 8, 2019