Following a national search, the Stonewall National Museum & Archives today announced the appointment of Hunter O’Hanian as executive director, effective Oct. 1.
Respected as a national leader of the LGBTQ+ movement, O’Hanian previously was the director of the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in New York, N.Y. The Leslie-Lohman Museum is a nationally-prominent organization and is the only art museum devoted exclusively to artwork that speaks to the LGBTQ+ experience.
“Hunter has been enthusiastically selected by the Stonewall National Museum & Archives Board of Directors to lead the institution,” said Ronald Herron, Chair of the Stonewall Board of Directors. “Stonewall has a major cultural and educational presence in South Florida and has emerged as a nationally-prominent LGBTQ+ organization, and we expect Hunter to build on that success.”
Justin Estoque, co-chair of Stonewall’s National Advisory Council (NAC), congratulated O’Hanian and said, “the NAC will continue as a sounding board and resource for support to the Board and Hunter, as they work to raise SNMA’s national profile and build its collection which documents LGBTQ+ history and culture.”
Said O’Hanian, “I have long been an admirer of the Stonewall National Museum & Archives and its supporters. They have worked hard to preserve LGBTQ+ history and culture in South Florida and nationally. I’m pleased to be part of this organization and look forward to exploring ways to expand its collection and present important stories that can be told through our Archives and Library. I look forward to seeing how we can work together with other LGBTQ+ organizations to collectively create a prominent national resource.”
O’Hanian has extensive experience in the arts and has worked with artists, exhibitors, and students for more than 20 years. He recently completed a term as the executive director and CEO of the College Art Association, the largest art history professional association in the world.
O’Hanian previously served as the executive director of the Foundation for the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. Prior to that, he led two renowned artists’ residencies programs, one at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colo., and another at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Mass.
O’Hanian studied painting at Boston College and received his Juris Doctorate degree from Suffolk University in Boston. He was awarded with an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the Art Institute of Boston and has received numerous other awards and honors.
Long-time, part-time residents of South Florida, O’Hanian and his husband, Jeffry George, live in Pompano Beach, Fla.
