New role continues the expansion of curatorial team
Janine Yorimoto Boldt, PhD
MADISON, Wis. – The Chazen Museum of Art continues to grow its curatorial ranks by adding Janine Yorimoto Boldt, Ph.D. to the team. Boldt, who is currently working as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation postdoctoral curatorial fellow at the American Philosophical Society, will begin her tenure as associate curator of American art on Jan. 4, 2021. Boldt’s two-year appointment is made possible by a generous gift from the Chipstone Foundation.
“Welcoming Janine to the Chazen is an exciting next step in our efforts to reshape our curatorial team and practices,” said Amy Gilman, director of the Chazen. “As we work to expand our impact in Wisconsin and beyond, she will lead collaborations with a variety of departments across campus, such as the Center for Design and Material Culture and the Art History Department. She will also be a part of a renewed focus on American art and artists, as we continue to evaluate and expand our permanent collection.”
The Chazen’s curatorial team has grown since Gilman began her tenure in 2017. Chief Curator Katherine Alcauskas leads the team, which is focused on developing new ways to deepen student, faculty and community engagement with art. In Fall 2018, the Chazen became the most-open museum among its peers, shifting to a dramatically expanded open hours schedule. The coronavirus pandemic has since prompted even more new ideas and strategies, including reduced, modified hours and a new exhibition of recent acquisitions. Boldt will join the team as they create plans for an eventual museum-wide reinstallation of the permanent collection.
Boldt received doctoral and masters degrees in American Studies from William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She has curated exhibitions at the American Philosophical Society and the Michigan Woman’s Historical Center and Hall of Fame, and secured fellowships with the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, the Virginia Historical Society and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. She is currently authoring a book based on her dissertation titled The Politics of Portraiture in Colonial Virginia, and is also developing an interactive database based on her research.
“It is an exciting time to join the Chazen as it prepares for a permanent collection reinstallation,” said Boldt. “I look forward to participating in the evaluation and development of the historic American art collection, prioritizing interpretations and acquisitions that help tell the story of American art from global and historically marginalized perspectives.”