Aldrich Announces Appointment of Merrill Falkenberg as New Curator

October 2007

On behalf of the Board of Trustees of The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, director Harry Philbrick has announced the appointment of Merrill Falkenberg as curator, effective October 1, 2007.

Philbrick stated, “Merrill brings a great range of attributes to the position. In addition to her PhD from Stanford, teaching experience, and management of curatorial projects on both coasts, she is enthusiastic and engaging. I am confident that she will be a marvelous ambassador for the Museum as we continue our commitment to contemporary art.”

Ms. Falkenberg comes to The Aldrich from the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton, NY, where she had served as curator of art since 2005. Prior to this, Falkenberg was associate curator at the San Jose Museum of Art and taught art history at Vassar College and the San Francisco Art Institute. Additionally, she has lectured widely on contemporary art and published a number of catalogues. She has also completed several research assistantships at prestigious institutions, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, and The Art Institute of Chicago.

Falkenberg's impressive curatorial experience has afforded her the opportunity to work on projects with such notable artists as Doug Aitken, Nikki Lee, Mary Heilmann, Eric Fischl, Chuck Close, Lucien Freud, Karel Funk, Robert Gober, Ron Mueck, Evan Penny, Jenny Saville, and Peter Campus. Her most recent exhibition, All the More Real: Portrayals of Intimacy and Empathy, received exemplary reviews including Art in America, The New York Times, and The New Yorker.

Falkenberg comments, “I visited The Aldrich last spring for the Anselm Kiefer exhibition preview and remember leaving the event feeling particularly impressed. I knew then that The Aldrich would be an ideal place to work and am eager to join an institution with a clear vision and commitment to showcasing emerging and mid-career artists.”

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