moCa Names New Executive Director 

Megan Lykins Reich will lead Cleveland’s Museum of Contemporary Art

 

CLEVELAND, January 19, 2022 – Following a national search, the Board of Directors for the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (moCa) has named Megan Lykins Reich its new executive director. The appointment was announced to staff and community partners by the board’s co-presidents, Joanne R. Cohen, Audra T. Jones, and Stephen G. Sokany. Reich joined moCa in 2004 and has served as moCa’s interim executive director since June 2020.

 

‘‘We are thrilled to announce Megan Reich’s selection as moCa’s new executive director,” said Cohen, who served as chair of the search committee. “Megan is a leader who lives our artistic and programmatic mission every day, with a demonstrated commitment to helping moCa evolve as an institution. Although many candidates we considered had strong skills, Megan’s talent, experience, and our first-hand knowledge of her capabilities made her our top choice.”

 

Added Jones, “Megan’s time at moCa has been marked by her unwavering intent to place art and artists at the center of everything we do. She has been insistent that we examine our efforts to engage underserved audiences and artists, expand representation of historically marginalized people in our staff and on our board, and strengthen our internal processes towards equity. She understands that advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility requires the ongoing engagement of our board, our staff, and our community. She approaches this work not as a checklist, but rather a journey of learning.”

 

During her moCa tenure, Reich has organized or coordinated 34 exhibitions with more than 200 artists, written/edited 13 catalogues and books, produced hundreds of public programs, connected moCa to thousands of audience members, managed expenses at or under goal, supervised innumerable cross-departmental and interorganizational initiatives, and helped raise millions of dollars for the organization. She was a key senior supervisor for moCa’s new building project, has been responsible for collaborative programming with many of Cleveland’s leading institutions, served as a co-author of moCa’s most recent strategic plan, and led numerous initiatives to elevate engagement and inclusion across the museum’s programming and physical environment.

 

Launching her museum career as a fellow in the contemporary art department at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Reich joined moCa’s team in 2004 and has served as curatorial intern, curatorial fellow, assistant curator, director of education, associate curator, and deputy director. For the past year and a half, she has led moCa as interim executive director, succeeding Jill Snyder, who left the museum in June 2020. During her time as interim executive director, among other noteworthy achievements, Reich succeeded at eliminating a projected budget deficit by leveraging special opportunities and stewarding donors. She continues to serve on the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee, working with staff and board to become a more equity-centered organization through work such as updating recruitment practices and governance policies.  

 

“I am honored and humbled to have been chosen to lead moCa,” said Reich. “I know the board considered a number of very accomplished individuals for this position. I intend to work alongside our board and our staff to continue delivering on the unique and important mission of this contemporary art institution. moCa’s work with artists and our community is incredibly rich with great potential, both for Cleveland and the world beyond. I am incredibly excited to have this opportunity.”

 

“We know we must look critically and with a fresh eye to build the deeper and lasting connections we want with our partners, the community, and the artists we serve,” said Sokany. “Megan is a convener whose leadership focuses on collaboration and shared vision. We did an exhaustive search – and realized we had the right person already in our midst.” 

 

“moCa, like art museums across the country, must apply its learnings and demonstrate an authentic commitment to creating a culture of welcome, equitable collaboration in the creation, interpretation, and development of art.” Reich added. “I will continue to prioritize this approach in my new role, and I look forward to working together with our team and the community to center the critical work and creative thinking of artists.”

 

Reich graduated as class valedictorian from The Pennsylvania State University’s School of Visual Arts, where she earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees in art history and studio art. She holds a Master of Arts degree in art history & museum studies from Case Western Reserve University, where she also conducted doctoral research. Identified as a “Non-Profit Leader to Watch” by Crain’s Cleveland Business in 2015, and a member of the Leadership Cleveland Class of 2020, Reich has presented at many conferences, juried art programs and competitions, and has served on boards, steering and planning committees for numerous arts, education, and cultural organizations.

 

About moCa Cleveland

For more than 50 years, the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (moCa) has played a vital role in the city’s cultural landscape. A kunsthalle in the Midwest, moCa is a conduit and catalyst for creativity and inspiration, offering exhibitions and programs that provide public value and make meaning of the art and ideas of our time.

 

Since its founding in 1968, moCa has presented the works of more than three thousand artists, often through artists’ first solo shows. moCa was the first in the region to exhibit the works of many vanguard artists, including Laurie Anderson, Christo, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. Recent artist commissions and solo exhibitions include work by Tauba Auerbach, Simon Denny, Aleksandra Domanović, Michelle Grabner, Byron Kim, Ragnar Kjartansson, Catherine Opie, Lisa Oppenheim, Adam Pendleton, Do Ho Suh and Sara VanDerBeek, alongside the presentation of numerous artists from the region.

 

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