{"id":119417,"date":"2025-08-04T23:44:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T23:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/119417\/"},"modified":"2025-08-04T23:44:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T23:44:09","slug":"johanna-burton-named-next-director-of-penns-institute-of-contemporary-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/119417\/","title":{"rendered":"Johanna Burton named next director of Penn\u2019s Institute of Contemporary Art"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Johanna Burton was appointed director of ICA Philadelphia on July 24. (Photo Courtesy of Penn Today\/Erin Leland)<\/p>\n

Johanna Burton was appointed as the Daniel W. Dietrich, II Director of Penn\u2019s Institute of Contemporary Art on July 24.\n<\/p>\n

Burton currently serves as the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, Calif. \u2014 becoming the fifth director to leave the museum since 2008. Her term at Penn will begin on Nov. 1, 2025, according to an announcement<\/a> from the ICA.\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\u201cJohanna Burton is among the most prominent and insightful leaders in contemporary art,\u201d Provost John L. Jackson, Jr. said in the announcement. \u201cShe has wide-ranging experience working with artists across media, mentoring curators, collaborating with students and faculty, and energetically drawing new audiences to art institutions on both coasts.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Jackson expressed gratitude toward Vice Provost for the Arts Timothy Rommen and the consultative committee that worked to confirm Burton\u2019s position.\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very gratified to bring her to Penn at a time when the arts are more vital than ever, as articulated in our strategic framework, In Principle and Practice<\/a>,\u201d Jackson continued.\n<\/p>\n

Although MOCA operates on a \u201c$25 million budget and an 8,000-piece collection,\u201d while the ICA has a \u201c$6 million budget and no permanent collection,\u201d Burton described her transition as \u201ca honing in\u201d rather than a step back to The New York Times<\/a>.\n\t<\/p>\n

\u201cI was trained as an art historian and still consider most of what I do \u2014 and what I work with artists towards \u2014 as a form of research,\u201d Burton wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. \u201cI love that the ICA is a small, nimble institution housed within a much larger, multi-faceted arena devoted to the furtherance of ideas.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

While preparing for her role at the ICA, Burton emphasized the importance of \u201cinstitution building\u201d and maintaining the \u201cidea that museums are ecosystems made up of individuals.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s no overstatement to say that since I first learned about the place, I have hoped to join it,\u201d she continued. \u201cI\u2019m beyond honored and so excited to partner with the staff of the museum and the university at this pivotal moment, and to imagine the next era of the ICA.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Burton added that she is most proud of how she has \u201calways prioritized the intersection of artists and their publics, often through the lens of \u2018education\u2019 in its widest sense.\u201d Prior to her time at MOCA, Burton served as the director of the Wexner Center for the Arts at Ohio State University, and has helped lead the New Museum in New York, the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, and the Whitney Museum.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

At MOCA, Burton oversaw programs, curation, and operations \u2014 leading initiatives such as the MOCA Focus series, a live performance program housed at the museum. She wrote to the DP that she hopes her previous experiences will guide her time at ICA \u201c\u200b\u200bby thoughtfully informing how the internal and external aspects of institutional health relate.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cJohanna brings a rare and powerful blend of curatorial vision, scholarly depth, and institutional vision,\u201d Mark W. Strong \u2014 chair of ICA Philadelphia\u2019s Board \u2014 \u00a0said in the announcement. \u201cHer commitment to both artists and public engagement resonates powerfully with the ICA\u2019s mission. We\u2019re excited for this new partnership as we chart the next chapter of the ICA\u2019s groundbreaking and pioneering history.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to see the ICA\u2019s doors open wider than ever before, both literally and figuratively,\u201d she wrote.\u00a0\n\t\t<\/p>\n

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In her first few years, Burton told the DP that she hopes to \u201cadvance a number of existing initiatives and to roll-out some new ways to truly focus on authentic inclusivity and artist-driven research.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI see the ICA as the kind of incubator and laboratory that not only encourages breaking new ground but also recognizes the fragility and humanity of such ventures,\u201d she added. \u201cI am excited to help guide the ICA forward as a space that allows such bravery and vulnerability.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Burton\u2019s appointment follows a six-month search to succeed Zo\u00eb Ryan, who served as ICA\u2019s director from 2020 to 2024. In January, Ryan took on the role of director of the Hammer Museum<\/a> in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation<\/a> to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.<\/p>\n

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