contemporary art museum st. louis appoints dominic molon as chief

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM ST. LOUIS APPOINTS
DOMINIC MOLON AS CHIEF CURATOR
Dominic Molon, Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, highly respected
leader in museum community, brings his curatorial and scholarly expertise in
international contemporary art to Saint Louis.
JULY 2010 (ST. LOUIS, MO) – Paul Ha, Director of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis has
announced the appointment of Dominic Molon as the Contemporary’s Chief Curator. Molon, currently
Curator at Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, will begin his appointment on September 27,
2010.
“I am thrilled to have Dominic joining our team at the Contemporary.
Dominic’s globally aware vision and critical, intellectual, and professional
rigor make him an outstanding addition to the Contemporary’s leadership
team,” said Paul Ha. “He is a highly respected and admired leader in the
museum community, and he brings tremendous experience and skills to the
Contemporary. The Board of Directors and the entire staff is looking forward
to working with him to chart the next chapter of an ambitious future for the
Contemporary.”
Since August of 2009, Molon served as Acting Head of the Curatorial
Department at MCA, Chicago, providing invaluable leadership and managerial experience that he will
now be contributing to the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. In addition to his work at MCA, Molon
regularly contributes to various art publications, makes public presentations, lectures widely across the
United States, and serves on international advisory committees.
During his tenure at the MCA, Molon curated major thematic survey exhibitions with a broad
international and historical scope such as Production Site: The Artist’s Studio Inside-Out (2010) where
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3750 WASHINGTON BOULEVARD, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI phone 314.535.4660
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the exhibition addressed the pivotal role of the studio in artists' practice; and Sympathy for the Devil: Art
and Rock and Roll since 1967 (2007). This monumental exhibition was the most serious and
comprehensive look at the intimate and inspired relationship between the visual arts and rock-and-roll
culture to date. He also organized solo exhibitions of such significant contemporary artists such as Liam
Gillick (2009), Wolfgang Tillmans (2006), Paul Pfeiffer (2003) coorganized with MIT List Visual Arts
Center, Gillian Wearing (2002), and Sharon Lockhart (2001), while coordinating numerous traveling
exhibitions including Take your time: Olafur Eliasson, Karen Kilimnik, Kai Althoff: Kai Kein Respekt (Kai
No Respect) and Charles Ray. Molon will also oversee Susan Philipsz: We Shall Be All, an exhibition
opening at the MCA Chicago in December 2010. Molon holds a Master of Arts in Art History and
Criticism from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in History
of Art and Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
As Chief Curator at the Contemporary, Molon will be responsible for overseeing the exhibition and
publication programs at the museum, in conjunction with the Director. “The chance to help continue the
development of an informed, diverse and engaged community for contemporary art in St. Louis is a
very exciting opportunity,” said Molon. “I am also eager to build on the Contemporary Art Museum’s
growing reputation for prescient and challenging exhibitions of established, emerging, and underrecognized artists from around the world.”
Molon joins the Contemporary during a time of exceptional growth. Since opening its doors in 2003,
the Contemporary has grown to become one of the country’s most important contemporary art
museums and is dedicated to exhibiting the visual arts and artists of our time and to producing
nationally recognized education programs. Due to its innovative projects and ambitious programming,
the Contemporary has become one of the leading voices of contemporary art. The appointment of
Molon to Chief Curator will deepen the Contemporary’s impact in the St. Louis community and further
fulfill its mission of promoting meaningful engagement with the most relevant and innovative art being
made today. The Contemporary has also shown excellent fiscal responsibility and stability by
balancing the budget each year since opening its doors in September 2003 and creating a 5 million
dollar endowment.
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3750 WASHINGTON BOULEVARD, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI phone 314.535.4660
fax 314.535.1226 www.camstl.org
CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM ST. LOUIS
The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis promotes meaningful engagement with the most relevant and innovative
art being made today. Founded as the Forum for Contemporary Art in 1980, the Contemporary Art Museum St.
Louis re-opened in its current location, 3750 Washington Blvd. St. Louis, Missouri 63108, with a new 27,000
square foot building in 2003. As a non-collecting institution, the Contemporary focuses its efforts on featuring
local, national and international, well-known and newly established artists from diverse backgrounds, working in
all types of media. As St. Louis’ forum for interpreting culture through contemporary visual art, the Contemporary
connects visitors to the dynamic art and ideas of our times. As a gathering place for experiencing contemporary
art and culture, the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis pushes the boundaries of innovation, creativity, and
expression. Visit the Contemporary’s website at www.camstl.org.
Twitter.com/ContemporarySTL
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