Tom Loughman, who has led the Wadsworth Atheneum for the past five years as director and CEO, is stepping down.
The Hartford art museum, located next to City Hall on Main Street, credited Loughman for strengthening Wadsworth’s exhibitions program, building new audiences (through free admission promotions and other programs), and making significant acquisitions for its collection.
Wadsworth said Loughman had decided to leave to “further his longstanding commitment to fostering partnerships between arts organizations in this country and abroad,” but did not reveal if he had taken a new job somewhere else.
“Increasingly and through my role as co-chair of the United States National Committee of the International Council of Museums, I’ve seen the urgent need to foster international partnerships, and I feel called to that important work which has defined my career,” Loughman said in the museum’s announcement on Friday.
“I know there will be only great things ahead, as we each move in new directions,” Loughman added.
Loughman has led the Wadsworth since Feb. 2016, following leadership roles at the Clark Art Institute in Massachusetts and the Phoenix Art Museum in Arizona.
Jeffrey N. Brown, vice president of the museum’s board of trustees, will serve as the Wadsworth’s interim CEO as the board conducts a national search for a successor.
The Wadsworth, which had a $13 million budget in 2019, was closed for nearly six months in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It focused on outdoor and virtual exhibits during that time.
The museum reopened last September at limited capacity, as per Gov. Ned Lamont’s pandemic restrictions on capacity, which were eliminated in mid-March for many types of facilities, including museums. However, Wadsworth has opted to continue with timed ticketing windows and capacity controls in some smaller galleries in order to maintain safe social distancing practices.
Admission to the Wadsworth is currently free through June.
