The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles has a new chief executive and director.
The museum’s board of trustees introduced Jonathan Abbott as the institution’s latest leader, effective as of Thursday. He takes the wheel from Ann Goldstein, who has spent the past 13 months as the interim director and will remain with MOCA until November to serve as Abbott’s adviser.
In the announcement, Abbott said he looked forward to joining the museum’s curatorial team, led by Clara Kim, as the institution approaches its 50th anniversary in 2029.
“MOCA has always stood for the power of contemporary art to challenge assumptions and open up new ways of seeing the world,” said Abbott said in a statement. “I’m excited to work with Clara and MOCA’s curatorial team, whose ambition and deep relationships with artists are among MOCA’s great strengths. I want to help bring broader support and audiences to work that is urgent and thought-provoking.
“Los Angeles is one of the world’s most vibrant cultural centers, with an extraordinary sense of possibility,” he continued. “I grew up thinking of cultural institutions as public places that belonged to everyone. MOCA was built here by artists and civic leaders, and I’m energized by the opportunity to help it remain deeply of this community and for this community.”
Abbott joins MOCA after spending 15 years as president and chief executive of Boston-based GBH, a public radio and TV broadcaster that partners with PBS, NPR and PRX. There he helmed a $215 million fundraising campaign and helped grow the station’s assets four-fold to $1 billion.
“Jon is a builder of mission-driven institutions and a deeply collaborative leader who understands that great creative work depends on trust, resources, discipline and a clear sense of purpose,” said Carolyn Clark Powers, chair of MOCA’s Board of Trustees. “He brings the experience and imagination to help MOCA extend its reach, deepen its relationship with Los Angeles, and give artists and curators the strongest possible platform for their ambitious work.”