Raymond G. LaVoie
When the Columbus Museum of Art began its search to replace Nannette Maciejunes after she announced her retirement in 2022, the team knew there were big shoes to fill.
During her 20-year tenure as executive director and CEO, Maciejunes led the museum through its biggest renovation, including a 50,000-square-foot addition.
Maciejunes also increased the museum’s collection and expanded its impact on the community through various educational programs.
After months of search, Brooke Minto was chosen. She brings more than 20 years of art administration experience to her role to help shape the future of the museum.
Before CMA
Minto grew up in the suburbs of New York and studied art history at Dartmouth College.
After gaining experience with auction houses, galleries and private collectors, she continued her education at Columbia University and earned a master’s degree in modern art and critical studies.
After leaving Columbia, she got a job at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. This career move acted as a springboard and exposed her to countless opportunities in managerial and director roles, including her most recent ones as the managing director for the Advisory Board for the Arts in New York and executive director of the Black Trustee Alliance for Art Museums.
With the experience she’s gained over the years, Minto says, she felt prepared for her new role, and is ready to lead the museum as it enters a new exciting phase.
Setting Up the Future
As Minto has gotten more into her role and begun looking toward the future, finding new team members to join the museum is her top priority.
With some vacancies left from retirements and job changes, Minto is excited about the opportunity to craft her own curatorial team.
During the next 12 to 24 months, Minto and her team are filling the museum’s four curatorial roles: the chief, photography and contemporary positions, as well as a new American art curator.
While the search is underway, Minto is taking the time to get to know more about the museum itself and the collection it holds.
“Since I’ve been here, I have been drawing on more of my art history and curatorial skills than I have in a long time, but it’s also been really fun,” Minto says. “It’s been an opportunity for me to
dive deeply into the collection and get to know it well, and soon, which is essential.”
The Bigger Picture
Looking ahead, the museum has plans for a substantial traveling show in 2025 with multiple venues along the path. This show highlights the legacy and artwork of the late award-winning Columbus-based artist Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson, and is set to increase the museum’s reach beyond Ohio.
The museum is also planning to stay at the forefront of the city’s growth by ensuring Columbus artists who have become more renowned, such as Robinson, are recognized at CMA through such avenues as acquisitions and solo shows.
The collection isn’t the only thing that will grow after the announcement of a $1.2 million gift from Battelle this fall. The funds will go toward a three-year initiative that will establish the Fund for Learning, which will help the CMA grow its existing programming, training for educators in the area and access for a more diverse audience across Columbus.
Minto says this gracious gift is just one example of how the museum hopes to continue to grow with the city around it.
“CMA is already an exceptional institution, hands down, but we want to grow,” Minto says. “We also want to make sure that the museum is always meeting the needs of its audiences. We hear a lot about this growth every day, and it’s essential that CMA is always meeting the needs of the public.”
Rachel Karas is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at rkaras@cityscenemediagroup.com.
