By SDCN Staff
San Diego, CA–The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego announced on December 9 that Kathryn Kanjo, the museum’s David C. Copley Director and CEO, will leave her role to join UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art as museum director. Kanjo’s last day at MCASD will be January 30, 2026.
Kanjo has served as CEO for nine years, having been appointed to the position in 2016. Her relationship with Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego began in 2010, when she joined the institution as Chief Curator before being selected to lead the museum as its very first female CEO.
While the museum’s 75th anniversary campaign was conceived before her appointment as CEO, Kanjo stepped up to oversee the expansion and renovation of the museum with Selldorf Architects, which led to a transformative period of growth that quadrupled the gallery spaces. The new La Jolla campus reopened with an enhanced collection of 5,600 artworks, public programs, and community engagement initiatives. Some noteworthy acquisitions included Teresita Fernandez, Helen Frankenthaler, Richard Hunt, Yayoi Kusama, Maya Lin, Morris Louis, Mark Rothko, and Cecelia Vicuña.
Since Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego reopened in 2022, some notable exhibitions during Kanjo’s tenure included Niki de Saint Phalle in the 1960s—which featured numerous works that were displayed in the United States for the first time—and For Dear Life: Art, Medicine, and Disability, the first exhibition to survey themes of illness and impairment in American art from the 1960s up to the COVID-19 era.
“Kathryn’s vision, dedication, and vast knowledge of contemporary art have shaped MCASD in profound and lasting ways,” said Maryanne Pfister, President of the Board of Trustees. “We are grateful for her years of service and wish her great success in her new role at UC Irvine.”
Kanjo’s appointment at UC Irvine marks a return to academia, where she will bring her deep expertise in contemporary art, museum practice, and arts leadership to students and faculty. The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Executive Committee officers have formed a selection committee to launch a national search for its next CEO over the coming months.
