Director’s letter

above Henry Kim. Photo

by CatMax Photography.

left Intaglio Gem Depicting Isis-Aphrodite. Roman, late 2nd–mid 3rd Century CE. Crystalline quartz var. amethyst. Gift of the Estate of Michael J. Shubin. 2008.31.108.

Photo by Bruce M. White, 2021.

cover Intaglio Gem Depicting a Satyr Hunting Game Birds. Roman, 1st Century CE. Microcrystalline quartz, var. chromian chalcedony. Gift of the Estate of Michael J. Shubin.

2012.32.24. Photo by Bruce M. White, 2021.

Do first impressions last forever? Imagine your first day as the director of the Michael C. Carlos Museum, encountering, as you arrive at its doors, the Class of 2026 en mass giving their Coke toast in the Quad. This is what I came across in my first moments as a member of the Emory community. In front of me, I could feel the spirit of the university and sense renewal after two years of COVID-19. I considered this an auspicious start.

I would like to thank everyone who has welcomed me from Emory and the wider Atlanta communities. It is a tremendous honor to serve as the next director of the Carlos Museum. It is a position that comes with great responsibility to steward it through our times and help write the next chapter in its history.

The Carlos has an impressive record of achievement that has seen it grow from its inception as an assortment of collections to its transformation into the museum we know today. It never shies away from innovation in the programs it develops, the exhibitions it stages, and the teaching it conducts with students of all ages.

As it emerges from the pandemic era, it faces new challenges. Museums are living, breathing creatures that grow and evolve. The magic is how as they get older, to steer them so that they stay as young as heart as the Class of 2026. I do believe the Carlos can be brave in tackling topics that are often considered uncomfortable, of upholding ethical standards that are demanded of museums today, and championing cultures that are often overlooked and underrepresented.

I would like to thank and pay tribute to Bonna Wescoat and Elizabeth Hornor, who served as interim directors over the past year, as well as Bonnie Speed, who guided the museum through much of the 21st century to date. Their experience and leadership have been crucial during this time of transition as the museum returns finally to in-person programming. In their own ways, each has left a lasting impression on the museum.

Associate Vice-Provost and Director, Michael C. Carlos Museum