(New York, June 10, 2014)—Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, today announced five senior staff promotions:
* Carrie Rebora Barratt as Deputy Director for Collections and Administration;
* Christine Coulson as Chief Advisor to the Director;
* Luke Syson as Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Chairman of the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts;
* Lisa Pilosi as Sherman Fairchild Conservator in Charge of the Department of Objects Conservation; and
* Jeffrey S. Spar as Vice President for Technology and Chief Technology Officer.
The five promotions will go into effect on July 1, 2014.
“These promotions recognize the creative energy and expertise of five key individuals to the vitality and excellence of this institution,” said Mr. Campbell in making the announcement. “They have proven themselves many times over as thought leaders who enable us to maintain the Met’s excellence in presenting and preserving the works in the collections that are at the heart of the Museum, and in expanding our accessibility to visitors—not only the roughly six million who cross our thresholds each year but also the ever-increasing numbers of online visitors who connect with us from around the world.
“Carrie Rebora Barratt is an essential manager and spokesperson whose expertise lies in the areas of digital media, the collections, and the long-term feasibility of the institution. Chris Coulson, another dedicated member of my staff, provides important advice on strategy and writes for me on a broad range of museum-related subjects. Luke Syson is an internationally recognized scholar who has brought new energy and innovation to our European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Department over the past two-and-a-half years. Lisa Pilosi, a talented conservator and scientist, is stepping into the leadership of her department after amassing impressive experience over the past 26 years at the Met. She fills the position held by Larry Becker, who has headed the Department of Objects Conservation with extraordinary commitment and excellence over the past 11 years and who will return to a full-time role as Senior Conservator within the department. And Jeff Spar is a technology leader who has been rapidly modernizing our technological assets and accessibility for the benefit of both staff and visitors since his arrival in 2011. We look forward to working with them in their new and enhanced roles at the Museum.”
Carrie Rebora Barratt
Deputy Director for Collections and Administration
Since 2009, Carrie Rebora Barratt has been Associate Director for Collections and Administration, serving as project manager for the Director, as well as liaison between the Director and various departments reporting to him, including the curatorial, conservation, and scientific research departments, as well as education, digital media, the libraries, editorial, and the photograph studio.
Ms. Barratt’s new title recognizes the expanded responsibilities that she has and will take on in response to the increasing needs of the Director’s Office to manage major projects, to work with growing areas like education and digital media, and to engage a national audience.
She joined the Museum’s staff in 1984, and worked initially as an intern and Research Assistant (1984-86) before being awarded a Chester Dale Fellowship to complete her doctorate (1987-89). She then held a number of positions in The American Wing, including Coordinator of American Wing Documentation (1986-87), Assistant Curator (1989-94), Associate Curator (1994-2001), and Curator (2001–2009) of American Paintings and Sculpture. She was Manager of The Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art from 1989 through 2009.
As lead curator for the renovation of the galleries of American Paintings and Sculpture, which were inaugurated in January 2012, Ms. Barratt was an active participant in architectural planning, collections display, and signage and interpretation for the New American Wing.
Christine Coulson
Chief Advisor to the Director
Chris Coulson has been Senior Advisor to the Director since 2009, serving as a key member of his strategy team and as his primary speechwriter. She has worked closely with him on a range of projects including audience engagement, global issues, lectures, donor cultivation, and long-term strategy and positioning for the Museum. In October 2013, she co-organized the Museum’s groundbreaking TEDxMet program, the first TED event to take place in an art museum.
Ms. Coulson began at the Met as an intern in European Paintings in 1991. She was then hired in 1994 as an assistant in the exhibitions area of the Development Office, later serving as Deputy Chief Development Officer for Government and Foundation Giving and Chief Advisor for Development before joining the Director’s Office.
Luke Syson
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Chairman, Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Luke Syson joined the Met in 2012 as the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Curator in Charge of the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts. Working closely with his curatorial team, he has crafted a blueprint for the department’s future development. He has also overseen a series of important acquisitions ranging from masterpieces of Italian Renaissance and Baroque marble sculpture to striking examples of late-19th-century art pottery (including the Met's first Gauguin pot); the Museum’s first major work of post-medieval Judaica; an Indian painted cotton hanging made for a member of the East India Company; a carved ivory Saint Sebastian made in early-17th-century Austria; and bold examples of English Regency furniture and sculpture.
In 2013, he co-curated Plain or Fancy? Restraint and Exuberance in the Decorative Arts, a small, innovative exhibition that challenged visitors to measure their own tastes against those of past eras. He is currently collaborating with colleagues across the Met on three major projects: a new space for Venetian sculpture, an audience engagement project entitled “Viewpoints,” and the refurbishment of the galleries for British sculpture, furniture, and decorative arts.
Before working at the Met, Mr. Syson was Curator of Italian Painting before 1500 and Head of Research at the National Gallery, London. While at the National Gallery, he was curator of the exhibition, Renaissance Siena: Art for a City, and in 2011 he organized the groundbreaking exhibition, Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan. He was one of the curators who organized the acclaimed Enlightenment Gallery at The British Museum and was part of the team that planned the new galleries for Medieval and Renaissance Art at the V&A.
Lisa Pilosi
Sherman Fairchild Conservator in Charge, Department of Objects Conservation
Currently a Conservator in the Met's Sherman Fairchild Center for Objects Conservation, Lisa Pilosi handles technical examination and conservation of objects, with primary responsibility for the glass collection. She began her Met career as a Conservation Assistant (1988-90), then was promoted successively to Assistant Conservator (1990-95), Associate Conservator (1995-2000), and Conservator (since 2000). She served as a field conservator for the excavations of the Department of Egyptian Art in Lisht and Dahshur, Egypt, in 1991 and 1992. On July 1, 2014, she will become the Sherman Fairchild Conservator in Charge of the Department of Objects Conservation, succeeding Lawrence Becker, who will become Senior Conservator.
Ms. Pilosi has been an instructor at the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, since 1995 and has published and lectured widely on glass technology and conservation. She is active internationally and most recently has served as a board member (2008–2011) and chair (2011-2014) of the Committee for Conservation of the International Council of Museums (ICOM-CC).
Jeffrey S. Spar
Vice President for Technology and Chief Technology Officer
Jeffrey Spar has been promoted to Vice President for Technology and Chief Technology Officer. He joined the Museum in April 2011 as Chief Technology Officer, with a mandate to modernize IT applications and enhance the Museum’s technology infrastructure. Since then, he has successfully consolidated and transitioned many of the Museum’s disparate computer systems to more effective solutions. Working closely with the Director, President, CFO, and the Information Systems & Technology Department, and partnering with key department heads, he introduced a strategic information technology plan to guide the Museum; implemented a new Data Center; provided kiosks for admissions, membership, and ticketing transactions; automated the Membership Department’s sales, service and processing tools; overhauled the Museum’s Intranet; and provided an improved scheduling system for special events and educational programs.
Before joining the staff of the Metropolitan Museum, Mr. Spar was a consultant to a number of publishing firms, including Meredith, Oxford University Press, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at The Reader’s Digest Association for 10 years. He spent the first 10 years of his career at McKinsey & Company as a Management Consultant.
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June 10, 2014
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