Lynn Zelevansky

Lynn Zelevansky became the Henry J. Heinz II Director of Carnegie Museum of Art in 2009. Since then, she has instituted a variety of new participatory and experimental programs at CMOA, some under the auspices of the new Hillman Photography Initiative, and overseen the successful 2013 Carnegie International. In 2010-11, she co-organized the exhibition Paul Thek: Diver, A Retrospective, which won an International Association of Art Critics (AICA) award. Previously, she was the Terri and Michael Smooke curator and department head, contemporary art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Among the many exhibitions she organized or co-organized there were Your Bright Future: 12 Contemporary Artists from Korea (2009), Beyond Geometry: Experiments in Form, 1940s – 70s (2004), and Love Forever: Yayoi Kusama, 1958-68 (1998). Prior to arriving in Los Angeles in 1995, Zelevansky was a curatorial assistant in the Department of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art, New York where she organized Projects shows for artists such as Gabriel Orozco (1993) and Cildo Meireles (1990), and curated Sense and Sensibility: Women Artists and Minimalism in the Nineties (1994). Zelevansky, who has published widely on modern and contemporary art, writes a series, Inside the Museum, for the CMOA Blog. She holds a BFA from Pratt Institute, and an MA from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.

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Inside the Museum

Shining a Light on the the Hidden Lives of Artworks

Inspired by the exhibition Uncrated: The Hidden Lives of Artworks, Lynn Zelevansky discusses artwork storage and inventorying the collection.

By Lynn Zelevansky Mar 26, 2015

Inside the Museum

How Participation and Expertise are Key to Museum Experiences

Lynn Zelevansky looks at crowd-sourced museum projects and what approaches might best serve 21st-century audiences.

By Lynn Zelevansky Dec 05, 2014

Inside the Museum

Shedding Light on the Historical Significance of Hélio Oiticica

Lynn Zelevansky considers the life and work of Hélio Oiticica as well as the importance of personal histories.

By Lynn Zelevansky Oct 09, 2014

Inside the Museum

Communicating the Mission of the Museum to the World

A museum's mission statement not only tells the world what the institution stands for, it also serves as an invaluable focusing mechanism.

By Lynn Zelevansky Aug 08, 2014

Inside the Museum

The Museum, Inside and Out

Lynn Zelevansky considers the litany of issues facing museums today, from weakening financial support to generational differences across audiences.

By Lynn Zelevansky Jun 27, 2014

Inside the Museum

Obscenity Is in the Eye of the Beholder

How a museum balances concerns for free expression against visitors’ legitimate right to avoid art that they deem offensive.

By Lynn Zelevansky Feb 28, 2014

Inside the Museum

Change Is in Order

It’s a new year, a time for taking stock. It has been almost three years since I started writing Inside the Museum.

By Lynn Zelevansky Jan 15, 2014

Inside the Museum

Art Makes You Smart: Unconventional Solutions to Unexpected Problems

Museums are an ideal place to learn about art because they contain myriad examples of unconventional solutions to unexpected problems.

By Lynn Zelevansky Dec 09, 2013

Inside the Museum

The Refined Beauty of the 2013 Carnegie International

The embraces its location and history, building solid connections with Pittsburgh neighborhoods while still emphasizing its past.

By Lynn Zelevansky Nov 01, 2013

Inside the Museum

The Crisis in Detroit

Inside the Museum is Carnegie Museum of Art director Lynn Zelevansky’s blog about the local and global impacts of the museum and the art world.

By Lynn Zelevansky Oct 10, 2013