Debra Wimpfheimer Named Executive Director of Queens Museum

"As Tallant bookends her seven-year tenure to steer the Southbank Centre's Hayward Gallery in London, Wimpfheimer will take the reins on several ongoing projects at the Queens Museum. She has already been credited with extensive fundraising efforts for the institution's expansion, and will direct the next phase of its development, which will include a new children's museum, an outdoor playspace channeling Isamu Noguchi, a designated space serving the borough's older adults,"

"Wimpfheimer has stepped in as interim director twice before Tallant's departure, first assuming the role for nine months in 2014 following former leader Tom Finkelpearl's appointment as the city's cultural affairs commissioner. She took up the position again in 2018, after former Executive Director Laura Raicovich resigned in the aftermath of her decision to cancel an Israeli-backed event commemorating the 1947 United Nations vote to partition Palestine to form Israel, which the museum later reneged on."

Debra Wimpfheimer, a Queens native who has held senior roles at the Flushing Meadows–Corona Park institution for 22 years, will become the Queens Museum's executive director starting this summer. Sally Tallant is leaving to lead the Hayward Gallery at the Southbank Centre in London. Wimpfheimer is credited with extensive fundraising and will oversee the museum's next development phase, including a children's museum, an outdoor playspace inspired by Isamu Noguchi, a space for older adults, and additional galleries. Wimpfheimer previously served twice as interim director, in 2014 and again in 2018. Tallant's tenure involved controversies including backlash over the YoU residency and internal tensions about a Gaza statement.

Read at Hyperallergic