SANTA ANA- Bowers Museum announced it has hired Sean O’Harrow, the executive director of Kansas City, Missouri-based Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, as president and CEO, succeeding Peter C. Keller, who served in the post for three decades until he died in November.
Anne Shih, the chairwoman of the museum’s Board of Governors, called O’Harrow, “an exceptional leader with a deep passion for the arts.”
“His vision aligns perfectly with our museum’s mission,” Shih said. “As we honor the incredible legacy left by Dr. Peter C. Keller, we are eager to embrace this new era of leadership and continued growth under Sean’s guidance.”
O’Harrow said he was “deeply humbled to join Bowers Museum, an institution with a rich history of inspiring and engaging the community through art and culture.”
“I am eager to work collaboratively with the talented staff and dedicated board to further elevate the museum’s impact and embrace our diverse audiences,” O’Harrow said. “Dr. Keller has helped create such a marvelous and relevant institution and I am incredibly honored to be appointed his successor.”
O’Harrow was born in Paris and raised in Honolulu. O’Harrow previously served as the leader of the Honolulu Museum of Art, the University of Iowa Museum of Art and the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa.
O’Harrow earned a doctorate from Cambridge University and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. Both degrees were in art history.
O’Harrow said he was “deeply humbled to join Bowers Museum, an institution with a rich history of inspiring and engaging the community through art and culture.”“I am eager to work collaboratively with the talented staff and dedicated board to further elevate the museum’s impact and embrace our diverse audiences,” O’Harrow said. “Dr. Keller has helped create such a marvelous and relevant institution and I am incredibly honored to be appointed his successor.”O’Harrow was born in Paris and raised in Honolulu. O’Harrow previously served as the leader of the Honolulu Museum of Art, the University of Iowa Museum of Art and the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa.O’Harrow earned a doctorate from Cambridge University and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. Both degrees were in art history.){kind=link}