El Museo del Barrio in New York announced today that its executive director, Jorge Daniel Veneciano, is stepping down at the end of the month “to pursue new opportunities”, according to the press release. In his place, the museum will be co-directed by Berta Colón, the deputy director of institutional advancement, and Carlos Gálvez, the deputy executive director.
Veneciano leaves the museum after only two and a half years, having started in March 2014. He came to New York from the Sheldon Museum of Art at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska. Prior to his tenure, El Museo had a number of high-profile staff woes: in 2013 it fired its director Margarita Aguilar, who filed a claim of gender discrimination and a hostile work environment with the New York state division of human rights. Shortly after, the museum, which has had financial difficulties in the past, also lost deputy director Gonzalo Casals and chief curator Chus Martinez.
Veneciano, however, seemed to have some success with the job. This spring, he organised a show at the museum titled The Illusive Eye, a response to the Museum of Modern Art's 1956 Op art show The Responsive Eye that highlighted Latin American contributions to the movement throughout the 1950s to 70s. The New York Times art critic Ken Johnson praised its “intriguing conceptual urgency”.
“After almost three years at El Museo del Barrio, Jorge Daniel leaves a legacy of outstanding exhibitions and programmes, increased attendance, and deepened community engagement,” María Eugenia Maury, head of the board of trustees, said in a statement. “We are proud of what the staff and board have been able to accomplish under his leadership. Our board is growing in strength and number as a result of the museum’s continuing successes.”