Pasadena Museum of California Art Appoint Executive Director

Susana Smith Bautista, Ph.D., will join the Museum as Executive Director. – Courtesy photo

Susana Smith Bautista, Ph.D., will join the Museum as Executive Director. Born and raised in Pasadena, Dr. Bautista is an expert on museums, digital technology, the arts, and strategic communication.

With an M.A. in Art History/Museum Studies and a Ph.D. in Communication, both from University of Southern California, Dr. Bautista has over 25 years of experience in the art world in Los Angeles, New York, and Greece, working with museums, commercial galleries, and non-profit art spaces; curating exhibitions on Latino and Latin American art; creating educational programming; lecturing; and publishing, including her 2013 book titled Museums in the Digital Age.

Her background in nonprofit arts administration includes former positions at the Mexican Cultural Institute of Los Angeles as the Executive Director; USC Pacific Asia Museum as the Interim Deputy Director and Director of Public Engagement; and LatinArt.com, the online journal of art and culture, as Editorial Director.

“As a longtime visitor and supporter of the PMCA, I am honored to take on this leadership role at the Museum. Having lived in Pasadena for most of my life, I have seen the major contributions the PMCA has made to the Pasadena community as well as those of Los Angeles and California.

The Museum has filled a void in the study and presentation of California art, and as we approach this momentous 15th anniversary of the Museum, I consider it a privilege to be able to uphold the PMCA’s mission and to ensure that the longstanding tradition of innovative research and exhibitions, as well as engaging educational and outreach programming, continues for the next 15 years and beyond,” said new Executive Director Susana Smith Bautista.

Dr. Bautista replaces Interim Executive Director Jay Belloli, who says, “I have every confidence that Susana will sustain the PMCA’s continued expansion of its educational and outreach efforts and further demonstrate her leadership within the Pasadena community.”

Mr. Belloli commenced his directorship with the Museum upon the departure of former Executive Director Jenkins Shannon last June. Mrs. Shannon, now with Cal Poly Pomona’s College of Environmental Design, dedicated over a decade to leading the Museum and remains a strong supporter and member of the PMCA, as will Mr. Belloli, who will continue to guest curate exhibitions in partnership with the PMCA.

More from Arts