Newly formed UCI Langson Orange County Museum of Art names first director
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Months after UC Irvine announced its Jack & Shanaz Langson Institute of California Art had merged with the Orange County Museum of Art, and at the conclusion of a nationwide search, a director to helm the new enterprise has been found.
Kathryn Kanjo, who oversees the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD), has been appointed museum director of the new UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art and will begin in the new role in February, officials announced Tuesday.
Upon her arrival, Kanjo will oversee the alignment of operations and programming for the newly blended institute, while developing and implementing a long-term vision across its two physical locations — at Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center for the Arts and Langson IMCA’s current location in Irvine.
“Kathryn brings a tremendous combination of deep curatorial expertise and demonstrated visionary leadership at premier institutions throughout the country,” UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman said in a news release. “She is the ideal person to lead the museum during this transitional period and into an exciting new future.”
UC’s Board of Regents could soon vote to merge the Orange County Museum of Art with UCI’s Langson Institute & Museum of California Art. The deliberations come as OCMA bids farewell to its leader and amid lawsuits against a major donor.
A California native, Kanjo joined MCASD in 2010 as deputy director and is currently its David C. Copley director and chief executive.
Prior to that, she served for four years as director of the University Art Museum at UC Santa Barbara and as director of Artpace San Antonio for five. She also held curatorial roles at the Portland Art Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
Kanjo expressed enthusiasm for Orange County’s visual art scene which, she said, according to the news release, is experiencing “a watershed moment” with the combining of OCMA’s 4,500-piece collection with Langson’s IMCA’s Gerald Buck and Irvine Museum collections comprising another 4,500 works.
“I am honored to lead this newly formed organization, working alongside the talented museum team, world-class faculty and brilliant UC Irvine students to provide all visitors exceptional museum experiences, while also creating distinctive learning opportunities for students,” Kanjo said.
