Mar 20, 2024
Dear Chancellor’s Advisory Council colleagues,
Kim Kanatani, inaugural museum director for the Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art (Langson IMCA), has announced her resignation effective March 28, 2024. We will name an interim director in the coming weeks, and a search to fill the position will commence soon.
During her tenure, Kim oversaw the preliminary planning for UC Irvine’s museum initiative; development of Langson IMCA’s conceptual and strategic plans; enhancement of the collection with art conservation projects and acquisitions; new research and scholarship; and professional development and career training for UCI undergraduate and graduate students. She also led the initiation of arts education programs for K-12 schools in the greater Irvine area. Under her direction, museum staff and guest curators organized 19 exhibitions with related public programming.
Prior to joining UCI, Kim led educational initiatives at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York for 18 years, rising to deputy director in 2010. She also held senior positions at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery.
In announcing her resignation, Kim shared, “I came to Langson IMCA in 2019 with the intention to formulate a collaborative vision for the future of the museum and institute and advance the development of a purpose-built facility. My team and I have articulated a vision around which our exhibitions, programs and pedagogical pursuits align. Whereas I have been honored to help lay this essential groundwork, I have decided to return to New York and explore opportunities for the next phase of my career in the non-profit cultural sector. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to the UCI community—especially the faculty and students—and cadre of artists, scholars, donors, and colleagues with whom I have had the great honor to work.”
Please join me in thanking Kim for her service to UCI and wishing her well in her future endeavors. Feel free to share this information with members of your teams as appropriate.
Sincerely,
Hal Stern
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Chancellor's Professor, Department of Statistics