Indiana University Bloomington has appointed Mindy N. Besaw as the next Wilma E. Kelley Director of the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, effective August 15. Besaw, who brings over two decades of curatorial and museum leadership experience, currently serves as director of fellowships, research and university partnerships and curator of American art at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. She succeeds interim director Mariah Keller and will oversee all facets of the museum's strategy, operations, and engagement, including exhibitions, collections, teaching partnerships, and public programming.
This appointment matters because Besaw's track record of innovative exhibition design, expansive storytelling, and academic collaboration positions the Eskenazi Museum of Art to broaden its public reach and strengthen its role as a dynamic bridge between campus and community. The museum, which holds a globally recognized collection of more than 47,000 objects and underwent a $30 million renovation of its I.M. Pei-designed building in 2019, is a key cultural institution in Bloomington. Besaw's leadership is expected to enhance access to collections, advance interdisciplinary research, and align the museum with IU's 2030 strategic plan, reinforcing its status as a leading academic art museum.