OU announced the new director of OU’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art on Monday, pending approval by the OU Board of Regents.
Emily Ballew Neff, a curator of American art and the art of the American West, will assume the position in January if approved, according to a press release.
“Dr. Neff brings nearly 20 years of curatorial leadership experience to the University of Oklahoma,” said Michael Bendure, the museum’s director of communication.
Neff will fill the role previously held by Ghislain d’Humières since 2007, according to the release. D’Humières left earlier this year to become the director and CEO of the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Ky.
Neff was the founding curator of American painting and sculpture at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, where she served as curator since 1997, according to the release.
As curator, Neff expanded the museum’s collections by more than 30 percent and organized more than 20 local exhibitions, according to the release.
“Her academic contributions to the fields of American art and art of the American West have made her a highly sought-after scholar in her fields,” Bendure said. “We look forward to meeting her soon and welcoming her to the University of Oklahoma family.”
Neff has written several catalogs and essays, including “Charles M. Russell: The Masterworks in Oil and Bronze,” which was published by the OU Press in conjunction with the Denver Art Museum.
Neff received a bachelor’s degree in art history from Yale University, a master’s degree in art history from Rice University and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, according to the release.
Neff’s official hiring will be voted on at the next OU Board of Regents meeting, which will take place Dec. 5-6 in Norman, according to the meeting schedule online.
