The past several years have been more unpredictable than usual for the Phoenix Art Museum — and not only because of the impact the pandemic has had on all sorts of arts organizations.
The longtime stalwart of the Valley’s creative community has undergone dramatic leadership changes.
Former Director Amada Cruz departed for a top position in Seattle after helping the museum make dramatic advances, while also reportedly causing rifts with longtime supporters. The next permanent director, Timothy Rodgers, only stayed for a year. In the meantime, Mark Koenig served as interim director twice.
Now, Jeremy Mikolajczak will take over as the Phoenix Art Museum’s director and CEO. He’ll officially start in the position in April, as he moves north from southern Arizona, where he’s been director and CEO of the Tucson Museum of Art.
The Show spoke with him to learn about the inherent challenges of leading an art museum in a diverse community like Arizona.
