Kristy Edmunds

Kristy Edmunds was unanimously appointed Director of MASS MoCA in October 2021, following a national search. Throughout her career, she has prioritized creating conditions for people to thrive and grow. Since taking the helm at MASS MoCA, she has made catalytic shifts in programming, led an inclusive, strategic planning process that culminated in a seven-year vision for the museum’s next phase of evolution and sustainability, and attracted significant funding for new initiatives, including a campus-wide facilities assessment and digital strategy.

Prior to MASS MoCA, from 2012 to 2021, Edmunds was the executive and artistic director of UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance in Los Angeles, where she transformed the organization into one of the nation’s most innovative platforms for producing and presenting contemporary performing art. Before that, she served as the inaugural artistic director for the now critically heralded Park Avenue Armory in New York, from 2009 to 2012. Her early career included founding the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, as well as its groundbreaking TBA Festival. A decade later, she became artistic director of the Melbourne International Arts Festival in Australia (2005–2008) and was the first to serve an unprecedented four-year term.

Edmunds was bestowed with the honor of Chevalier (Knight) de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government in 2016 and was the inaugural recipient of the Berresford Prize from United States Artists in 2019.

Edmunds’ global career has included work as a visual artist, independent filmmaker, playwright, director, and creative producer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in film direction from Montana State University and an MFA in playwriting and theater direction from Western Washington University.