2 FROM THE DIRECTOR THE WORK OF MUSEUMS IS A WONDERFUL blend of intention and serendipity, and at SCMA, we benefit from both. The strategic plan we put into place last year has provided clarity and direction in a time of tremendous change and opportunity in everything from personnel to programming. Along the way, several pieces came together beautifully and, at times, unexpectedly. In fostering the development and care of our collection, creating dynamic and experiential learning opportunities, deepening our relevance to our audiences, focusing on the museum’s overall tone and personality, and reaching beyond our four walls, we are fulfilling our mission to cultivate inquiry and reflection by connecting people to art, ideas and each other. SCMA’s staff continues to move this museum forward with an abiding commitment to creating mean- ingful cultural experiences for one and all. Prompted by the retirements of longtime colleagues Louise Laplante and David Dempsey, we have reorganized our collections management department and welcomed several new colleagues. Lily Foster is our new associate director of museum administration, and she’s managing operations and visitor services with thought and care, building a dynamic team to support her efforts. Jessica Henry-Cross, for one, brings outstanding technical and accounting know-how to her role as financial and systems coordinator, and as visitor services assistant, David Andrews continues to warmly welcome everyone who arrives at our door. See page 39 for Lily’s reflections on her first year. The museum has undergone significant changes in the curatorial realm, as well. Most notably, thanks in part to generous gifts that came through Smith’s Women for the World campaign, we have doubled the size of the curatorial staff (which I’d always felt was quite slender for a collection of more than 27,000 objects spanning from antiquity to the present day). Danielle Carrabino is our new curator of painting and sculpture, succeeding Linda Muehlig, who stepped down after 40 years in that role. It’s a position with a broad purview, and Danielle brings a specialty in early modern European art history, as well as experience at the Harvard Art Museums, so she truly understands this domain and adds a fresh perspective to the historical breadth of our collection. Danielle has fabulous energy and expertise and— together with other recent hires Yao Wu (Jane Chace Carroll ’53 Curator of Asian Art) and Emma Chubb (Charlotte Feng Ford ’83 Curator of Contemporary Art)—is deepening our work as a premier academic museum. Aprile Gallant was named associate director of curatorial affairs and now oversees the administration FROM THE DIRECTOR