Lynda Roscoe Hartigan is stepping down as director and CEO of the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, to become the director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in Washington, D.C., starting September 8. Hartigan, who began her career as an intern at SAAM, previously served as PEM's first chief curator in 2003, deputy director in 2016, and returned as director in 2021 after a brief stint at the Royal Ontario Museum. During her tenure at PEM, she oversaw the reinstallation of a 40,000-square-foot wing, guided a five-year strategic plan, and expanded programs in global fashion, contemporary art, photography, and American art.
This appointment matters because Hartigan returns to SAAM at a politically sensitive time: the Smithsonian Institution has faced scrutiny from the Trump Administration over diversity, equity, and inclusion programming, and four Smithsonian directors have left in the past two years, including Melissa Chiu of the Hirshhorn Museum. Hartigan's deep curatorial knowledge and leadership experience position her to navigate these challenges while stewarding one of the nation's most significant collections of American art. Her move also highlights ongoing leadership transitions at major U.S. museums and the broader tensions between cultural institutions and federal oversight.