From the Director

It is a pleasure to introduce myself as the new Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Joslyn Art Museum. Originally from the Midwest, my arrival in Omaha from Nashville in April 2010 has been something of a homecoming, and my first impressions of the Museum are good ones. Seventy-eight years at the heart of our city's cultural community has rendered Joslyn a place in great standing in the hearts and minds of Omahans, and I consider it an honor to continue that strong legacy.

I look forward to meeting you here at Joslyn. I am delighted about the array of outstanding exhibitions and programs offered this summer. Peruse the website for upcoming happenings, and join me for events surrounding Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism, including JAMA's elegant French-inspired gala on June 4 (the exhibition opens to the public on Saturday, June 5). Also, be sure to try us out on Thursday's evenings beginning June 3. We'll be open until 8 pm every Thursday through early September, with themed programs each night that will educate and inspire.

Jack Becker, Ph.D.
Executive Director & CEO

About Dr. Becker
Jack Becker, Ph.D., 46, comes to Joslyn from Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art in Nashville, Tennessee, where he served as president and chief executive officer. He joined Cheekwood in 2002 as vice president/director of its art museum. Prior to that, Dr. Becker worked as curator of the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut, the center of America's best-known Impressionist art colony; the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; the Minneapolis Institute of Arts; and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. He also held fellowships from the National Gallery of Art, the Henry Luce Foundation, and the Smithsonian Institution.

At Cheekwood, Dr. Becker oversaw the operations of an accredited art museum with strengths in American art, works on paper, photographs, and decorative arts, and a botanical garden featuring outdoor sculpture. Under his leadership, Cheekwood increased major donor memberships, completed a $2.7 million restoration campaign, and added several works of art to its collection. Dr. Becker initiated a city-wide exhibition by glass artist Dale Chihuly; secured a multiyear loan of the 57-object Matilda Geddings Gray Fabergé Collection, one of the finest collections of its kind in the world; and was awarded a grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc., for a contemporary art program featuring solo artist exhibitions and installations of new media annually. New programs introduced during Dr. Becker's tenure include Tuesdays for Tots, Lunch and Lecture, and Highballs and Hydrangeas, an award-winning art and garden event for young professionals.

Dr. Becker earned his B.A. in art history at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota; his M.A. in art history and Ph.D. in American art at the University of Delaware in Newark; and his M.B.A. at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.