Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to announce that Stephanie Smith has been selected as the next director of Krannert Art Museum. Her appointment will begin May 25, pending approval by the Board of Trustees.
Stephanie brings more than a decade of museum leadership experience, a capacity for guiding university-affiliated museums with both vision and stability, and a national reputation for excellence in contemporary art and museum practice. She currently serves as an independent curator and arts consultant based in Chicago and is a 2025–2026 visiting fellow at the University of Chicago's Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society.
Previously, Stephanie served as interim director of the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, where she provided steady leadership during an extended transition period. In that role, she oversaw a $4.5 million budget, strengthened relationships with donors and advisory bodies, secured institutional support to address capital needs and stabilize finances, and positioned the museum for its next phase of leadership.
Earlier in her career, she spent more than a decade at the Smart Museum in progressive curatorial and leadership roles, ultimately serving as deputy director and chief curator. She held senior curatorial positions at the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Art Gallery of Ontario.
A respected curator, writer, and lecturer, Stephanie is widely known for her scholarship and leadership in socially engaged contemporary art. Her exhibitions and publications have earned national and international recognition, including the prestigious Emily Hall Tremaine Exhibition Award for Feast: Radical Hospitality in Contemporary Art. She remains active in research, teaching, and public engagement, and currently holds an appointment as adjunct assistant professor at the University of Illinois Chicago.
Stephanie earned her MA in art history and BA in history and art/art history from Rice University and completed the Getty Foundation’s Museum Leadership Institute executive program.
Her record and strengths position her well to lead the Krannert Art Museum. We are confident she will enhance the museum’s visibility and build and deepen reciprocal relationships across and beyond campus.
Please join us in welcoming Stephanie Smith to her new role as director of Krannert Art Museum.
Sincerely,
John Coleman
Provost
Jacob Pinholster
Dean, College of Fine and Applied Arts