Museum of Art hires interim executive director

Kate Eilertsen will start work as interim executive director of the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art on Feb. 2. The museum has just celebrated its 10-year anniversary and Eilertsen will work closely with the board of directors and staff to review SVMA’s many accomplishments and weigh the opportunities for its continued development.
“The Board of Directors is confident that Kate’s many professional strengths will ensure continuity of programming and management,” said Simon Blattner, president of the board of directors for the nonprofit museum. Incoming president, Jane Milotich, said that the board would begin its search for a permanent director after the annual membership meeting in mid-March.
“In the meantime, we all look forward to working with Kate as we take the opportunity to outline a new five-year strategic plan,” said Milotich.
Last year, Eilertsen served as acting director of visual arts for Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, where she led the visual arts program while curating “Bay Area Now 5,” “Irreverent: Contemporary Nordic Craft Art” and “Nick Cave: Meet Me at the Center of the Earth.” Prior to that, Eilertsen was the director of the Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco, where she led a million-dollar capital campaign and oversaw the museum’s move from Fort Mason to the downtown museum district. Previous positions include associate dean and director of community education for the San Francisco Art Institute, director and special projects manager for the University of California at Berkeley Museum at Blackhawk, and director of exhibition for the Harvard University Art Museums. She began her career at the Metropolitan Museum as the installation supervisor for the Rockefeller Collection while pursuing her graduate degree.
“It is a great honor to join the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art and the friendly community of Sonoma itself to help connect the great exhibitions, arts education programs and inspiring ideas to the people that live in this wonderful neighborhood,” said Eilertsen.
The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, at 551 Broadway, is the largest visual arts organization in the North Bay region, with over 1,000 members.