Overview
- The board announced on Thursday that Jonathan Abbott will begin immediately as MOCA’s director and chief executive, replacing interim director Ann Goldstein.
- Abbott is an outsider to the museum field who spent 2007–2022 leading Boston public media group GBH and is being hired primarily for his record in fundraising and institutional building.
- While at GBH Abbott helped lead a $215 million campaign and helped grow assets from roughly $225 million to about $1 billion, achievements the board says are essential to stabilizing MOCA’s finances and operations.
- The appointment signals a deliberate shift toward managerial consolidation over curatorial continuity after years of leadership turnover, controversy, and recent programmatic successes such as the acclaimed “MONUMENTS” exhibition.
- MOCA and its supporters say Abbott’s job will include repairing donor and civic ties and preparing for the museum’s 50th anniversary in 2029, with observers watching next for decisions on senior curatorial and management appointments.