Director, Krannert Art Museum University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, College of Fine and Applied Arts | Champaign, Illinois We are pleased to announce that the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has selected Stephanie Smith to serve as the next Director of the Krannert Art Museum, effective May 25, 2026.Smith brings more than a decade of museum leadership experience, a national reputation for excellence in contemporary art and museum practice, and a capacity for guiding museums with both vision and stability. She currently serves as an independent curator and arts consultant based in Chicago and is a 2025–2026 visiting fellow at the University of Chicago’s Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society.Previously, Smith served as interim director of the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, where she provided steady leadership during an extended transition period. In that role, she oversaw a $4.5 million budget, strengthened relationships with donors and advisory bodies, secured institutional support to address capital needs and stabilize finances, and positioned the museum for its next phase of leadership.Smith earned her MA in art history and BA in history and art/art history from Rice University and completed the Getty Foundation’s Museum Leadership Institute executive program.You can read the full press release here.Ben Tobin led this search with Ryan Leichenauer and Alaine Small.
