Utica, N.Y. — Munson Museum of Art announces the appointment of Director and Chief Curator Stephen Harrison to membership in the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), joining a select group of his peers of directors from major art museums across North America who address critical issues facing art museums as well as promote best practices in museum operations, ethics, and programming. In addition, Munson Assistant Curator Elizabeth Welch has been promoted to associate curator of American art, in recognition of her accomplishments highlighting Munson’s renowned collection of American art. 
“The Association of Art Museum Directors fosters excellence in the museum field,” said Munson President Anna D’Ambrosio. “It is an honor for Stephen to be accepted into AAMD, continuing Munson’s nearly 30-year involvement with this important national advocacy organization.” Harrison is the third director from Munson to gain membership to the AAMD.
At Munson, Harrison is responsible for all curatorial, interpretive, and exhibition-related operations in the Museum of Art. He has initiated a reinstallation of the galleries, participated in both the campus master plan and branding processes, and curated the 2022 blockbuster summer exhibition “Norman Rockwell.” He is the author of numerous scholarly publications and lectures widely on the subject of decorative arts and historic interiors around the world. A graduate of the University of Virginia, where he was a Jefferson Scholar, Harrison holds advanced degrees in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania and material culture from the Winterthur Museum Program at the University of Delaware.
Elizabeth Welch joined Munson in 2023 as assistant curator of American art, after earning her master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and holding positions at the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and Providence College in Rhode Island. She will now move into the role of associate curator with enhanced responsibilities, leading the department of American art, where she has made a significant impact on the collections. She served as the in-house curator for this summer’s special exhibition “American Landscapes from the New-York Historical Society” and developed two important exhibitions to accompany that show—“Trenton Falls: Stilled Waters | Still Here” and “Views of New York: Wilderness and Waters”—introducing visitors to the depth of Munson’s own extraordinary landscape collection. She has added important 19th-century artworks to the collection and will continue to develop the Museum’s pre-1940 programs.
“Both Stephen and Elizabeth are dynamic professionals who apply their unique passion and devotion to the arts community in all that they do at Munson,” observed D’Ambrosio. “We are delighted and proud to have them on the Munson team.”
Munson is at 310 Genesee St. in Utica. For more information, visit munson.art.
About Munson
Munson is an internationally recognized fine arts organization in Utica, serving diverse audiences through the renowned Munson Museum of Art, live performances and events, community arts classes, and Pratt Munson College of Art and Design, the upstate extension campus of the prestigious Pratt Institute.
