BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana University Bloomington has appointed Mindy N. Besaw as the next Wilma E. Kelley Director of the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, effective Aug. 15. Besaw brings more than two decades of curatorial and museum leadership experience with a focus on innovative exhibition design, expansive storytelling and academic collaboration. She succeeds interim director Mariah Keller, who has led the museum since August 2024.

Mindy N. Besaw. Submitted photo “The Eskenazi Museum of Art stands at the heart of Bloomington’s cultural life and serves as a magnet for patrons near and far,” IU Bloomington Chancellor David Reingold said. “With Mindy Besaw’s leadership, the museum is poised to broaden its public reach — serving as a dynamic bridge between campus and community, and enriching lives across the region by engaging visitors with world-class art, education and creative experiences.”

As director, Besaw will oversee all facets of the Eskenazi Museum of Art’s strategy, operations and engagement, including exhibitions, collections, teaching partnerships and public programming. Reporting to the provost and executive vice chancellor, she will guide the museum’s next chapter as a dynamic center for visual arts education, interdisciplinary scholarship and cultural dialogue.

“Mindy is a visionary leader whose curatorial excellence and collaborative spirit make her an exceptional choice to lead the Eskenazi Museum of Art,” IU Bloomington Provost Rahul Shrivastav said. “Her deep commitment to expansive practice, community engagement and academic partnership will further elevate the museum’s impact at IU and across the region.”

Besaw currently serves as director of fellowships, research and university partnerships and curator of American art at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. Since joining the institution in 2014, she has curated major exhibitions that examine wide-ranging narratives in American art and has championed initiatives that center underappreciated artists and voices.

She has been instrumental in leading the museum’s Tyson Scholars of American Art Fellowship Program, and in the foundation of the University of Arkansas’ Master of Arts in Art History, which specializes in arts of the Americas in partnership with Crystal Bridges. Besaw has collaborated on nationally recognized exhibitions including “Knowing the West,” “Cross Pollination: Heade, Cole, Church, and Our Contemporary Moment,” and “Art for a New Understanding: Native Voices, 1950s to Now.”

At IU Bloomington, Besaw will lead one of the largest and most significant academic art museums in the country. The Eskenazi Museum of Art, established in 1941, holds a globally recognized collection of more than 47,000 objects from nearly every art-producing culture and historical period. Following a $30 million renovation of its iconic I.M. Pei-designed building, completed in 2019, the museum features state-of-the-art facilities including a public-facing Conservation Studio, four research study centers and technology-integrated learning environments.

In alignment with the IU 2030 strategic plan, Besaw will collaborate with academic units across the university, including the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design; the College of Arts and Sciences; the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs; the School of Education; and the IU Curatorship Program. Her charge includes enhancing access to collections and resources, advancing interdisciplinary research, and strengthening the museum’s role as a nexus for arts-based innovation and inquiry.

“I am honored to join Indiana University and to lead the Eskenazi Museum of Art into its next chapter,” Besaw said. “The museum’s extraordinary collection, its role as a teaching institution and its commitment to expansive, forward-thinking engagement offer a powerful foundation. I am excited to collaborate with faculty, students, staff and community partners to expand the museum’s impact on campus, across Indiana and beyond.”

Earlier in her career, Besaw served as curator at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, where she oversaw the Whitney Western Art Museum. Her work has explored intersections of place, identity and history in American visual culture. She has contributed to scholarly publications, exhibition catalogues and public programs that deepen the connection between art and audience.

Besaw earned a doctorate in American art history from the University of Kansas. She holds a master’s degree in art history and museum studies from the University of Denver and a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in art history from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The Eskenazi Museum of Art is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is part of a growing ecosystem of arts and cultural institutions at IU Bloomington. Its 112,000-square-foot facility welcomes students, scholars and visitors from around the world, offering a wide range of exhibitions, educational programming and community partnerships.