Tuning Up: New leader announced by Columbia arts giant
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“Tuning Up” is a morning post series where The Hub delivers curated, quick-hit arts stories of interest to readers. Sometimes there will be one story, sometimes there will be several. Get in tune now, and have a masterpiece of a day. And now, in no particular order…
Columbia Museum of Art appoints new executive director; to start Aug. 3
via news release
The board of trustees of the Columbia Museum of Art announces the appointment of Laura J. Mueller, Ph.D., as the museum’s new executive director.
Photo by Haus of Portraits, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Mueller (right) recently served as the interim executive director of the New Mexico Museum of Art and Vladem Contemporary in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She officially takes the helm as executive director on August 3, 2026.
“The CMA board of trustees is delighted to welcome Dr. Mueller to the museum,” Board President Therese Griffin said. “In addition to her well-rounded museum management and curatorial experiences, the board was drawn to her strong world view, cultural leadership, and work around strengthening museums through strategic positioning and capacity building.”
The appointment culminates an extensive seven-month search that drew interest from both national and international candidates. Upon the announcement of the former executive director’s departure in October of last year, the CMA board of trustees formed a search committee to thoughtfully identify a new executive director. Led by Ann Marie Stieritz, board vice president, the committee secured the Boston-based firm Museum Search & Reference, which specializes in museum leadership recruitment, on Dec. 31. The search launched in late January.
Mueller’s bio notes she is “a museum executive, curator, and art historian with more than 20 years of leadership experience in art museums and cultural institutions. She has overseen multimillion-dollar budgets, led major fundraising initiatives and capital projects, curated nationally recognized exhibitions, and cultivated strategic partnerships that expand community engagement. An internationally recognized scholar of Japanese art, she has published extensively and lived and conducted research in Japan for more than six years. Mueller holds a Bachelor of Arts in international economics from Gustavus Adolphus College, a Master of Arts in arts administration and a Master of Business Administration, both from Southern Methodist University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in history of art from the University of Wisconsin.”
She replaces Della Watkins, who retired this spring. Read the full release.
Hub coverage of these events, which have fundraising components, does not equate to endorsement of a particular cause or organization by the South Carolina Arts Commission, its board, or its staff.