West LA Times

Marcy Carsey, chair of the Hammer Museum at UCLA’s board of directors, announced Zoë Ryan as the next director of the museum. Ryan will take over on January 1, 2025, succeeding longtime director Ann Philbin, who is retiring in November after leading the museum for 25 years.

Ryan comes to the Hammer from the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania, where she has been the Daniel W. Dietrich II Director since 2020. In this role, she has overseen a program of exhibitions and expanded public engagement efforts with a focus on building partnerships with various organizations. She also developed a new strategic vision for ICA that emphasized community engagement and collaboration.

“I am thrilled to welcome Zoë to the Hammer Museum and look forward to her leadership and collaboration with the museum’s board, staff, UCLA, and the many artists who make up the Hammer’s community,” Carsey said. “Zoë is a leader known for building support for daring and ambitious projects and her steadfast commitment to artists. We’re very excited for her to bring these skills to the Hammer.”

Ryan expressed her enthusiasm about joining the Hammer Museum: “The Hammer Museum is one of the most exciting museums in the country. It has had an electrifying effect on Los Angeles’ ascendance as a global arts capital,” she said. “With its experimental exhibitions and dynamic public programs, the Hammer has set the pace for museums to engage with critical issues such as politics, climate change, justice, and equity for all.”

Current director Ann Philbin reflected on her tenure: “It has been the most extraordinary journey of my life to lead the Hammer Museum for the last 25 years,” she said. “I am excited to hand the baton to Zoë Ryan... I wish her nothing but success.”

UCLA Interim Chancellor Darnell Hunt welcomed Ryan's appointment: “The Hammer Museum is a linchpin of the arts at UCLA and within our city... I am exceptionally pleased to welcome Zoë and excited to see how she will advance the Hammer’s ambitious programming.”

Lionel Popkin, interim dean of UCLA School of Arts and Architecture, added: “Her cross-disciplinary curiosity and intellectual rigor will undoubtedly enrich our school... we’re confident that her leadership will take the Hammer Museum to new heights.”

During Ryan’s tenure at ICA, she oversaw notable exhibitions such as "Ulysses Jenkins: Without Your Interpretation," which was co-organized with Meg Onli from ICA and Erin Christovale from Hammer.

Ryan has earned a reputation as a leader who supports experimental ideas and projects while championing artists and designers. She has taught graduate courses in design history at institutions like School of Art Institute of Chicago and University of Illinois at Chicago.

Upcoming projects include a co-edited volume on Cuban-Mexican designer Clara Porset. Other significant works include "In a Cloud, in a Wall, in a Chair: Six Modernists in Mexico at Midcentury" (2019) among others.

Ryan holds advisory roles in several organizations including Design Trust International Advisory Council in Hong Kong. She earned her master’s degree in art history from Hunter College, City University of New York.