News

New Chief Curator for Vero Beach Museum of Art

Caitlin Swindell joins the VBMA from the Lowe Art Museum in Coral Gables, FL, where she has served as Curator of Collections and Exhibitions. At the Lowe, Caitlin was responsible for developing annual exhibitions drawn from the Museum collection and broader partnerships. Caitlin's curatorial projects included exhibitions featuring international contemporary artists such as Do Ho Suh, Rashid Johnson, and historical figures including Keith Haring, Sol LeWitt, Jacob Lawrence, and Lee Krasner, to name a few. She has close to 50 exhibition projects, publications, reviews, articles, and numerous blogs to her credit, and she recently curated the exhibition Order Up! The Pop Art of John Miller featured in a New York Times review (October 2023). She has extensive experience with all aspects of the curatorial process, from concept to scholarship and funding to presentation. Before the Lowe, Swindell was Senior Curatorial Assistant in Modern and Contemporary Art at the Denver Art Museum. She holds an M.A. in Art History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a B.A. degree in Art History and Anthropology from Tulane University in New Orleans. 

Brady Roberts, Executive Director/CEO at the VBMA, said "Caitlin has over eight years of experience in modern and contemporary art, including at a major metropolitan museum, two university-affiliated museums, and two fine art galleries. Her experience is augmented by an international curatorial residency in Budapest and Bratislava and internships at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (MFA), the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, and the National Gallery of Art.”

Jill Desmond, Chief Exhibition and Collection Services Officer from the Denver Art Museum (DAM) said of Caitlin's new appointment, "I worked closely with Caitlin on several projects at DAM, where she played various roles and experienced a significant building renovation and reinstallation. She brought people together and contributed greatly to exhibition content while at DAM. Caitlin is a curator who will do very well with responsibility for a broad range of art. She will be a great Chief Curator for the Vero Beach Museum of Art."  

"Caitlin offers a breadth of perspectives and curatorial insight for the exciting years ahead at VBMA. She has performed all the key administrative, supervisory, curatorial, collections acquisition, and management functions essential for her new role as Chief Curator," said Roberts. 

Additionally, Caitlin's previous experience developing collection reinstallations while at Denver Art Museum, during its significant renovation and expansion, will be invaluable as the VBMA looks towards its future building project. "The opportunity to partner with Executive Director Brady Roberts and the VBMA Board and colleagues in implementing the Museum's next development phase will be a tremendous opportunity for me. I look forward to joining the VBMA team and engaging with this unique community," stated Swindell. 

The appointment follows a national search led by senior consultant Daniel Keegan.