Eik Kahng

Eik Kahng now serves as Assistant Director and Chief Curator at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. She moved to Santa Barbara shortly after her hugely enlightening stint at the Center of Curatorial Leadership as a member of the Class of 2009. While she continues to originate and travel scholarly exhibitions, such as Picasso and Braque: The Cubist Experiment, 1910-12 and most recently, Delacroix and the Matter of Finish, she is also deeply involved in the overall administration of her mid-sized institution. SBMA is in the late planning stages for a much needed renovation and Eik participates in weekly renovation meetings, dealing with everything from geothermal wells, architectural designs, and the city permitting process. Currently, she is facilitating a highly focused exhibition called The Paintings of Moholy-Nagy: The Shapes of Things to Come, guest curated by art historian, Joyce Tsai (UF, Gainesville) and oversees two support groups called The Dead Artists Society and D.A.S. ii.  As often as possible, Kahng attempts to maintain contact with her CCL classmates on whom she continues to rely for guidance.

Kahng’s previous curatorial employment includes positions at the Kimbell Art Museum, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Walters Art Museum. Her curatorial formation owes much to the invaluable year she spent at the National Gallery of Art under the mentorship of the late Philip Conisbee as one of the first CAA Professional Development fellows back in 1994-95, and her developing understanding of museum administration has been impelled by the training she received through the CCL. She works closely with SBMA director, Larry J. Feinberg, whose administrative example she strives to emulate. Kahng graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1985 and received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1996. She is the recipient of numerous fellowships and awards and has published and lectured widely with a particular emphasis on 18th- and 19th-century French painting and its critical reception.

Articles Related to Eik Kahng

2008-10-30

CCL Announces Class of 2009

Selection of New Fellows Builds Upon Success of Inaugural Year Program, Professional Advancement of the Class of 2008 Ten outstanding curators from art museums and institutions across the United States have been selected to participate in the 2009 fellowship program of the Center for Curatorial Leadership (CCL), an organization that trains curators for ... Read More >

2017-06-02

Valerie Cassel Oliver (CCL 2009) Appointed Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the VMFA Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

A warm congratulations to Valerie Cassel Oliver (CCL 2009) on her appointment as Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the VMFA Virginia Museum of Fine Arts! Most recently Senior Curator at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Valerie completed the CCL fellowship in 2009, which included mentorship ... Read More >

2019-08-23

Rochelle Steiner (CCL 2009) Named Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs and Programs at Palm Springs Art Museum

Rochelle Steiner (CCL 2009) has been named Chief Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs and Programs at the Palm Springs Art Museum!  Rochelle comes to the Palm Springs Art Museum from the Vancouver Art Gallery, where she serves as the associate director and chief curator. Rochelle has also held posts at the Roski ... Read More >