Following a yearlong international search, the Memorial Art Gallery this week named Sarah Jesse its eighth director.
Jesse comes to Rochester from her most recent position as director of the Academy Art Museum in Easton, Maryland, and brings more than 20 years of experience in leading and raising funds for American art museums. She'll begin at the MAG on Feb. 26, 2024.
In an announcement released by the University of Rochester Thursday, Jesse spoke about her philosophies on the role of arts institutions. “At their best, museums contribute not just to the lives of individuals, but also to what makes cities vibrant and desirable to live in,” she said.
MAG
Board of Managers president Kathy D’Amanda chaired the search committee for the next director.
“Right from the beginning, Sarah Jesse set herself apart from other candidates,” D’Amanda said. "Jesse is proactive about going into the community and finding out what it needs and wants from its museum, instead of presenting material and hoping that the people will come."
D’Amanda added she also has the vision and willingness to pivot.
In early 2023, a planned expansion of the Academy Art Museum was interrupted when it was discovered that an area to be excavated showed evidence of one of the earliest Black settlements in the area. “They halted work and (Jesse) commissioned an archaeological dig, and they created an exhibition around the history of this area,” D’Amanda said.
Since 2021 Jesse has served as director of the Academy Art Museum in Easton, Maryland, a town on the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay. There, she oversaw a $1.7 million operating budget, $7.4 million endowment, $2.2 million capital project, 1,700 object collection, 24,000-square-foot space that hosts exhibitions, educational programs, and performances.
Previously, Jesse served as deputy director and interim director and CEO of the Orange County Museum of Art, and associate vice president of Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), as well as institutions in Tulsa and Chicago.
The MAG’s most recent director was Jonathan Binstock, who helmed the institution from 2014 until early 2023, when he left to become director of the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC. Since January, the MAG has been led by interim director Michael Marsh, who is the MAG's chief operating officer. Marsh will continue to lead at the MAG until February.
As the leader at MAG, Binstock became known for engaging with artists and art spaces of all levels in Rochester and drawing people to the museum. “He attracted people and conversations that we had not had before at the MAG,” said D'Amanda.
She added that the MAG is focused on building on the energy Jonathan Binstock created during his tenure as director. Museums and galleries are tasked, more than ever, with proving their relevance.
“I think what we need to do as a museum is re-envision the way that we present our collection and select exhibits that do reflect our society better,” D’Amanda said. “We should be as creative in the ways that we present the art as the people that made the art.”
She believes Jesse was the right selection to lead MAG into the future.
“She’s willing to take chances and do exciting new things, not just do expected things and safe things.”
Rebecca Rafferty is an arts writer at CITY and the producer-host of art/WORK, an arts conversation video series created in collaboration with WXXI.