Biesenbach and Burton, whose title will be executive director, will co-run MOCA and both report to board chair Maria Seferian as part of a top-level“I’m excited to work closely with Klaus on visioning the next era of MOCA, listening closely to our staff and communities, while bringing the museum’s structures into ever-more vibrant alignment with the museum’s values,” Burton said in the announcement.
Although MOCA has a female-led board with Seferian as chair, Carolyn Powers as president and Heather Podesta as treasurer, the museum has struggled with diversity. In 2018 it canceled a gala fundraiser after protests over the lack of diversity among former gala honorees, all of whom were straight white men. Artist Mark Grotjahn, also white, initially accepted the honor but later declined, citing “a new urgency to change the power dynamic.
MOCA’s “artist-centered mission,” Burton said in the announcement, “dovetails with my own commitment to creating platforms that foster artistic innovation and emphasize deep connections to audiences. By pursuing these goals and supporting the efforts of MOCA’s team, I’m looking forward to extending the museum’s legacy while strengthening bonds both within the institution and with the public. “You read it here first.
Two directors, each focused on different aspects of the institution, better serve the museum’s mission and its community, MOCA has said. It’s a divide-and-conquer strategy: Biesenbach will assume responsibility forBurton will run daily management and operations, including finance, advancement, education, communications and human resources. Burton also will steer new initiatives, such as the museum’s IDEA effort, promoting inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility.
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