CORNING — The Rockwell Museum in Corning has named Brian Lee Whisenhunt as its new executive director.
He will start in the position in early January 2017, succeeding Kristin A. Swain who announced her retirement earlier this year, after serving for 14 years.
Whisenhunt brings nearly 20 years of museum experience, according to a news release from The Rockwell.
Since July 2011, Whisenhunt has served as the executive director of the Museum of the Southwest in Midland, Texas. He was responsible for planning a $5.4 million capital campaign to renovate and restore the Turner Memorial Art Museum, which includes the historic Turner Mansion dating from the 1930s. Under his leadership, the museum attracted more than 100,000 visitors in 2015, the first time in more than a decade.
“Brian’s museum experience and eagerness around arts in education, community collaboration and high quality American art experiences make him a great fit for The Rockwell and our region. I’m certain he’ll be overwhelmingly welcomed by our vibrant arts community and the people that make it happen,” Deb Naylor, president of the museum’s board of trustees, said in the release.
Whisenhunt received his master’s degree in art history from the University of Oklahoma.
His other previous jobs include stints as executive director of the Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana; adjunct professor of art at Indiana State University; director of education at the Wichita Art Museum in Kansas; and manager of public programs at the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas.
Whisenhunt is joining The Rockwell after it, in the last three years, has broadened its mission statement to “encompass art about the American experience, transformed its permanent art galleries from top-to-bottom, [and] opened a new Family Exploration Studio for young visitors,” the release stated. The Rockwell also revamped it museum store, and launched new programs like Rockwell Roadhouse and the Urban Arts Crawl.
Most notably, The Rockwell, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, has become an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum said.
The Rockwell’s diverse collection includes a mix of contemporary American art with traditional bronze sculptures, landscape paintings, and other works that “embody the American experience.” The museum is housed in the restored 19th century Old City Hall building in Corning.
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