Newfields hires Belinda Tate as new museum director

Newfields has hired Belinda Tate, currently executive director at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts in Michigan, as its new museum director, the art and nature campus announced Wednesday. Tate will begin at the Indianapolis Museum of Art Nov. 6, after a national search that included more than 200 applicants, according to a news release from Newfields.

Tate has held her current position since 2014. During her tenure in Kalamazoo, she's helped the museum and Kirk Newman Art School become a community-based organization and received national recognition, according to the news release. Tate and the institute received the Epic Award from the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo in 2021.

A trustee of Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, Tate also serves on the board of directors for the American Federation of Arts.

Newfields first sought to hire a museum director in early 2021 as part of a revamped executive structure. The original job description caused a widespread outcry for stating that applicants would need to maintain the museum's "traditional, core, white art audience" while attracting a more diverse audience.

The incident led to the resignation of then-CEO and president Charles Venable. Newfields hired new CEO and president Colette Pierce Burnette in 2022.

“I am humbled by the opportunity to work alongside President and CEO Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette and the incomparable team at Newfields," Tate stated in the release.

"The Indianapolis Museum of Art is an evolving institution with a stellar collection and inspiration to all who visit. I look forward to joining a team dedicated to serving the community through exceptional exhibitions and programs as one of the nation’s leading cultural destinations,” Tate said.

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Before coming to Michigan, Tate was the director of the Diggs Gallery at Winston-Salem State University. Her experience also includes serving on the American Alliance of Museum’s Task Force on Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion in Museum Excellence; as an at-large commissioner of African American Heritage for the State of North Carolina; and as a past board member of the Association of Art Museum Directors, the release stated.

Originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Tate earned her undergraduate degree in Art History and Museum Studies from Yale University and her master's in Liberal Studies from Wake Forest University.

“We all have high expectations of our incoming Director to lead the next generation of the IMA at Newfields," Burnette stated in the news release. "Belinda is strongly positioned to deliver for Newfields, bringing our full potential to fruition. She is committed and aligned to our values of stewardship, inclusivity, excellence, and service and is also a trailblazer in diversity, equality, inclusion, and access.”

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Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or d.bongiovanni@indystar.com. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @domenicareports.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Newfields hires Belinda Tate as new museum director