Fall 2024 Leadership Transition
As of October 11, 2024, The Frick Pittsburgh announces that Elizabeth E. Barker has stepped down from her position as Executive Director. Please see below a statement from Bob Hernandez, chair of the Frick's Board of Trustees, on Dr. Barker's tenure, and next steps as we move forward with a search for our next Executive Director.
To our Frick community:
We write to share the news that Executive Director Elizabeth “Lizzie” Barker has stepped down from the role, following a five-year tenure that helped steer the museum through the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic and welcomed new and more diverse audiences with engaging programming.
During Lizzie’s time as Executive Director, The Frick produced the most attended exhibit in our history, Vermeer, Monet, Rembrandt: Forging the Frick Collections in Pittsburgh and New York, debuted Pittsburgh’s own version of The Red Dress created by local embroiderers, craftspeople and imaginative visitors as part of the exhibition’s multi-year U.S. tour, and was honored by the American Association for State and Local History for the Signature Clayton Tour Experience: Gilded, Not Golden. We are grateful for her contributions and wish her all the best as she pursues her next career chapter.
The Board of Trustees has appointed a search committee, chaired by incoming Board Chair Steve Pavsner, that will oversee a nationwide search for a successor as we continue to create experiences of discovery, inspiration and learning that further enrich the cultural fabric of our region. During this transition period, I will step in and provide overall guidance and direction and support to our enormously talented department heads.
In many ways, the Frick’s mission is more important in the current climate than perhaps ever before, as our community and society at large seek sources of hope and inspiration, opportunities to foster greater inclusion, and experiences that bring people together regardless of their backgrounds – all of which art has the power to deliver in abundance.
We remain grateful for your support.
With appreciation,
Bob Hernandez
Chair, Board of Trustees
The Frick Pittsburgh
To our Frick community:
We write to share the news that Executive Director Elizabeth “Lizzie” Barker has stepped down from the role, following a five-year tenure that helped steer the museum through the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic and welcomed new and more diverse audiences with engaging programming.
During Lizzie’s time as Executive Director, The Frick produced the most attended exhibit in our history, Vermeer, Monet, Rembrandt: Forging the Frick Collections in Pittsburgh and New York, debuted Pittsburgh’s own version of The Red Dress created by local embroiderers, craftspeople and imaginative visitors as part of the exhibition’s multi-year U.S. tour, and was honored by the American Association for State and Local History for the Signature Clayton Tour Experience: Gilded, Not Golden. We are grateful for her contributions and wish her all the best as she pursues her next career chapter.
The Board of Trustees has appointed a search committee, chaired by incoming Board Chair Steve Pavsner, that will oversee a nationwide search for a successor as we continue to create experiences of discovery, inspiration and learning that further enrich the cultural fabric of our region. During this transition period, I will step in and provide overall guidance and direction and support to our enormously talented department heads.
In many ways, the Frick’s mission is more important in the current climate than perhaps ever before, as our community and society at large seek sources of hope and inspiration, opportunities to foster greater inclusion, and experiences that bring people together regardless of their backgrounds – all of which art has the power to deliver in abundance.
We remain grateful for your support.
With appreciation,
Bob Hernandez
Chair, Board of Trustees
The Frick Pittsburgh