Hartford, Conn. (December 16, 2020)–The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art‘s 2020 Annual Meeting of the Board of Electors & Board of Trustees, held virtually on November 19, 2020, saw the appointment of eight new board members. Pedro Bermudez, Karen Holden, and Pastor Ashley “AJ” Johnson will serve on the Board of Electors through 2023, and Michele Cook, Dr. G. Duncan Harris, Robert D. Kump, Philippa Feigen Malkin, and Timothy P. McLaughlin, MD will serve on the Board of Trustees through 2024. In addition, Caroline Cunningham Young was announced the Designee of the Office of the Governor.
Following board elections, the Wadsworth’s Annual Meeting featured a report on the past year delivered by Director & CEO, Thomas J. Loughman, and a special conversation between Angela Vallot, Partner VallotKarp, and William M. Griswold, Director of the Cleveland Museum of Art, DEAI Lessons Learned and Hope for the Future.
NEW MEMBERS OF THE 2023 ELECTOR CLASS
Pedro Bermudez is the owner of Revisionist Films, a documentary and commercial production company based in Hartford. He has directed content for a diverse range of clients including Nike and international non-profit BuildOn, and he has developed digital storytelling workshops for the Obama Foundation. Bermudez has created several promotional films for the Wadsworth, three of which were featured in this year’s virtual gala.
Karen Holden is an interior design professional who moved to Connecticut from New York City 3 years ago.
Pastor Ashley “AJ” Johnson leads The Urban Hope Refuge Church, where passionate worship and community activism meet in Hartford. He is also the founder of Small Business Night Out (SBNO), a network of minority-owned businesses and entrepreneurs; a community organizer for Works at the Christian Activities Council; and a captain of the Calling all Brothers, a widely hailed male mentorship and leadership organization.
NEW MEMBERS OF THE 2024 TRUSTEE CLASS
Michele Cook is the artist/owner of Arcadia Press Arts, a private fine art studio and occasional gallery space focusing on printmaking including monotype and relief prints and publishing limited edition hand printed books and unique artist books. She has served two terms as Trustee of Hartford Art School Endowment, Inc., and is currently a corporator. Michele has also served on the Wadsworth Board of Electors for four years.
Dr. G. Duncan Harris is the chief executive officer of Capital Community College. Duncan also serves on the boards of FoodShare,Windsor Federal Savings Bank, the Urban League of Greater Hartford, Capital Workforce Partners, and the New England Board of Higher Education. He has had a distinguished career in higher education that spans over 25 years and resides in Windsor with his wife and children.
Robert D. Kump is the Deputy Chief Executive Officer and President of AVANGRID. He serves on the Advisory Council for Binghamton University Watson School of Engineering and is a member of the Red Cross Board of Directors in Connecticut. He is also a former trustee of the Portland Art Museum in Portland, Maine.
Philippa Feigen Malkin lives and works in Litchfield County. She has served on the Wadsworth Education Committee as a Community Advocate since 2012. An experienced entrepreneur, she worked at Richard L Feigen & Co., a gallery in New York City specializing in 15th through 21st century museum quality art, from 1988, after graduating from Columbia University, until 1996 when she launched Waterleaf, LLC, a tea based personal care and home furnishings distributor. Philippa earned a MA from the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU in 1992.
Timothy P. McLaughlin, MD is a retired orthopedic surgeon. He previously served as a trustee of the Wadsworth from 2011 to 2019 and also as President of the Design and Decorative Arts Council. He is also a Trustee of the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme.
DESIGNEE OF THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Caroline Cunningham Young is a writer who covered contemporary art and design as a Contributing Editor at House & Garden magazine, as well as for other publications, for over 20 years. Her grandfather, Charles C. Cunningham, was the Director of the Wadsworth from 1946-1966. She also serves on the board of MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA.
About the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
Founded in 1842 with a vision for infusing art into the American experience, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is home to a collection of nearly 50,000 works of art spanning 5,000 years and encompassing European art from antiquity through contemporary as well as American art from the 1600s to today. The Wadsworth Atheneum’s five connected buildings–representing architectural styles including Gothic Revival, modern International Style, and 1960s Brutalism–are located at 600 Main Street in Hartford, Conn. Hours: Friday, noon-8pm; Saturday & Sunday, -5pm. Admission: free through January 3, 2021; $15 adults; $12 seniors; $5 students; free for members, Hartford residents, and youth (age 17 and under). Hours and fees subject to change. Phone: (860) 278-2670; website: thewadsworth.org.