Staff Reports | Communitu Updates
Scottsdale Arts has named Dr. Christina Brungardt director of Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.
SMoCA, the only nationally accredited contemporary art museum in Arizona, is part of Scottsdale Arts, which also includes Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Public Art, Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, Canal Convergence, Civic Center LIVE and Scottsdale Arts @ Cattle Track, according to a press release.
“In every conversation with Dr. Brungardt, it was apparent that, besides her strong qualification as a museum director and fundraiser, she fundamentally embraces the identity of SMoCA within Scottsdale Arts, recognizing the opportunities this creates — from reaching a broader audience base to education and outreach to collaborations among visual, performing and public arts,” Dr. Gerd Wuestemann, president and CEO of Scottsdale Arts, said. “With an eye toward a future museum expansion, we are excited to have found the right leader for SMoCA’s future.”
Dr. Brungardt currently serves as director of institutional giving at the Alley Theatre in Houston, where she oversees foundation, corporate and government support, as well as the theater’s individual giving team.
Previously, Dr. Brungardt was the Gabriele Haberland Director of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art in Wisconsin. During her tenure, the museum achieved reaccreditation from the American Alliance of Museums, organized exhibitions and developed an institutional giving strategy.
Her museum experience also includes serving as deputy director and interim director of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.
Dr. Brungardt’s professional focus includes strategic planning, fundraising, financial oversight and nonprofit arts administration. She said she looks forward to building on the museum’s existing strengths and supporting contemporary artists.
“The strength of SMoCA’s collection and exhibitions, along with its commitment to collaboration, is what drew me to the organization and inspires me to think broadly about the future of museums,” Dr. Brungardt said. “It provides an extraordinary opportunity to explore experimentation and connection as only the arts can — grounded in hope and infinite possibilities.”
Throughout her career, Dr. Brungardt has worked with galleries in New York and Texas, served as finance manager of Neue Galerie New York Museum for German and Austrian Art, and taught art history at Bronx Community College, Hunter College and the University of North Texas.
Dr. Brungardt earned undergraduate degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree from the University of Chicago and a doctorate from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Her research examines the relationship between the arts and politics from the 1850s to the present.
“Her thoughtful and focused ideas to enhance SMoCA’s exposure, both locally and nationally, as well as her experienced approach to fundraising, will take us to a new level,” Elizabeth Shaw, SMoCA Committee chair and a member of the Scottsdale Arts Board of Directors, said. “I am looking forward to the future with Dr. Brungardt’s leadership.”
