James Steward
Leader, Collaborator, Educator
Nancy A. Nasher–David J. Haemisegger, Class of 1976, Director, Princeton University Art Museum
Nancy A. Nasher–David J. Haemisegger, Class of 1976, Director, Princeton University Art Museum
James Steward joined the Princeton University Art Museum as its director in April 2009. Since that time, he has launched initiatives to position the Art Museum at the heart of the University experience, including expanding its program of exhibitions and educational activities as well as its open hours and outreach efforts. Steward is a lecturer with the rank of professor in the Department of Art and Archaeology and a faculty fellow of Rockefeller College. Prior to coming to Princeton, he served as director of the University of Michigan Museum of Art, where he oversaw the planning, construction and fundraising for a major new building, recognized as one of the 10 best new buildings for 2010 by the American Institute of Architects. Steward holds his B.A. from the University of Virginia and a doctorate in the history of art from Trinity College, Oxford University, where he studied with Francis Haskell. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.