Stewart will join the museum in January 2021 and will report to the Director and President of the Academy Museum, Bill Kramer.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has announced that Jacqueline Stewart has been named as Chief Artistic and Programming Officer. The museum is dedicated to the collections and expertise of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Under the new role, Stewart will lead strategy and planning for the Academy Museum’s curatorial, educational, and public programming initiatives, including exhibitions, screenings, symposia, publications, workshops, and K-12 programmes.
Stewart will join the museum in January 2021 and will report to the Director and President of the Academy Museum, Bill Kramer.
Stewart joins the Academy Museum from the University of Chicago Department of Cinema and Media Studies, where she teaches American film history, specialising in African American cinema from the silent era to the present.
She currently serves on the curatorial advisory committee for the Academy Museum’s upcoming exhibition Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971, which explores the visual culture of Black cinema from its early days to just after the civil rights movement.
Commenting on her new role, Stewart said: “As a scholar who researches, teaches, presents, and archives films, I see how cinema shapes our understandings of history and culture, of other people and ourselves, in profound and enduring ways. In my work to create welcoming spaces for people to experience films, I have seen that movies have a unique ability to galvanize dialogue and cultivate empathy. I am excited to join the Academy Museum team at this critical moment for the institution, and for our world, to engage visitors and partners inaccessible, multifaceted conversations about the history of filmmaking and the impact that cinema has on our lives.”
Kramer remarked: “Jacqueline Stewart is a powerful leader in the film world. Her inspiring history of scholarship, teaching, programming, building community partnerships, and archival work combined with her dedication to inclusivity and accessibility make her an ideal leader for the museum. With her remarkable ability to engage the public and her commitment to showcasing the diverse and fascinating history of the movies, she will be a vital part of our mission to advance the understanding, celebration, and preservation of cinema.”
