Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, 75, will become the director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in Washington, D.C., on September 8, ending a 17-month vacancy. Hartigan, currently the director of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, began her career at SAAM as chief curator, where she developed collections of modern, contemporary, African American, and self-taught art.
This appointment comes at a time of instability for the Smithsonian, which has seen several departures following an executive order by Donald Trump aimed at removing content deemed ideological from museums. Hartigan's return to lead SAAM is significant both for her deep institutional knowledge and for the broader political pressures facing the institution.