Nora Lawrence has been appointed as chief curator and artistic director of the Storm King Art Center, the beloved sculpture park in New Windsor, New York. Lawrence will be the first to hold the position of artistic director. David R. Collens the institution’s longtime director and chief curator will become director emeritus. The leadership transition will take place in January.
Lawrence began her tenure at Storm King in 2011 as a curator, with a focus on bringing in new artists into institution’s programming, known for its large-scale, outdoor commissions. In years since, she has launched programs like “Outlooks,” in which an emerging or mid-career artist is invited to create a temporary, site-specific work. She also founded Storm King’s artist residency in 2015, and has worked with the organization’s young patrons group, the Storm King Circle.
“As the curatorial liaison for Storm King’s young patrons group since its inception, Nora has shown a unique talent for engaging new audiences in Storm King’s mission,” Molly Krause, a co-chair of Storm King Circle, said in a statement. “She is phenomenally skilled in curation and audience engagement, and it will be exciting seeing where she takes things at the curatorial helm.”
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Lawrence’s major curatorial responsibilities over the past few years include “Indicators: Artists on Climate Change” (2018), “Rashid Johnson: The Crisis” (2021), and “Sarah Sze: Fifth Season” (2021).
Prior to her time at Storm King, Lawrence held positions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and MoMA PS1.