BOARD OF THE NEW CHILDREN'S MUSEUM WELCOMES NEW LEADERSHIP AND APPOINTS JULIANNE MARKOW AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Tomoko Kuta to head programmatic advancement as Director, Education and Exhibitions

November 28, 2011 — San Diego — After a five-month national search, the board of directors of The New Children’s Museum announced the appointment of Julianne Markow as Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer this week. Markow will assume her new duties in December, upon the departure of the current executive director, Rachel Teagle, who resigned earlier this year. Teagle has served NCM since 2007.

Markow has twenty years of experience in the non-profit sector, an entrepreneurial environment, and at Fortune 500 companies. Formerly the Chief Operating Officer at The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and previously the Deputy Director, Operations and Finance at The San Diego Museum of Art, Markow is well positioned to lead the organization on a path of sustainable growth. Markow holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, an MA in International and Public Affairs from Columbia University, and a BA from Harvard University.

“Julianne’s strong background in museum administration and business management along with her passion for arts and education will enable The New Children’s Museum to reach its next tier of growth,” said Mitch Mitchell, president of NCM’s board of directors. “She supports the board’s commitment to operational excellence and will continue to advance our impact in the community.”

The New Children’s Museum is the only children’s museum in the United States with a mission dedicated to commissioning artists to create site-specific installations for an audience of children and families. A focus on community participation in the arts has been a part of the museum’s pioneering legacy since the organization’s founding in 1981. In May of 2008, NCM opened a new environmentally friendly 50,000-square-foot facility in downtown San Diego. Its third biennial exhibition, TRASH, opened in October of this year and encourages children to think about trash in new ways through play, inquiry and art making.

“I’m thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to lead this unique institution which enriches the lives of children throughout the region and serves as a source of pride for San Diego,” states Markow. “Access and exposure to the arts cultivates creativity in our children and benefits the advancement of our society. I’m looking forward to the next chapter at NCM.”

Complementing Markow’s solid background in arts management, the board also appointed Tomoko Kuta as Director, Education and Exhibitions. With over fifteen years of experience in the local non-profit arts community, Kuta will lead the growth of the museum’s education, curatorial, and visitor experience departments.  Most recently serving as Director of Education for the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, she successfully built a diverse portfolio of arts education programs centered on the visual and performing arts. Prior to that, Kuta served as Curator of Education at the Museum of Photographic Arts where she pioneered a wide range of education programs for students, teachers, and the general public, including multi-session school outreach programs andcurriculum guides. Additionally, she developed a certificate program in photography for the University of California, San Diego Extension, and has curated numerous exhibitions. Kuta holds an MA from the University of Chicago and a BA from Cornell University.

ABOUT THE NEW CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
The New Children’s Museum is a dynamic new model of a museum that provides inventive and engaging art experiences that are meaningful to children and families. NCM brings families together in a rich educational environment that fosters creativity — blending elements of art museum, children’s museum, and community center.

A non-profit institution funded by admissions, memberships, and community support, the Museum stimulates imagination, inquisitiveness and innovative thinking by exhibiting participatory works of art by contemporary artists and providing a venue for art making and play. Serving all ages, from toddler to teen, NCM inspires new ways to see the world through the language of art. To learn more, visit thinkplaycreate.org.