The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut, has announced the appointment of Allison Blais as its new president and CEO, effective January 2026. Blais will succeed Jeffrey N. Brown, who has served in the leadership role for five years. The announcement marks a significant transition for America's oldest continuously operating public art museum.
Blais brings extensive experience in managing large-scale cultural and memorial projects to her new role. She currently serves as executive vice president and chief strategy and operations officer of New York's 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Her involvement with these institutions dates back to their early planning stages, including her tenure at the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, where she played a crucial role in developing these nationally significant memorial sites.
Duffield Ashmead IV MD, chair of the Wadsworth's board of directors, expressed confidence in the appointment. "Allison has had great success overseeing large-scale capital projects in New York City while demonstrating her ability to work with a broad range of stakeholders at an institution of national relevance," Ashmead stated. "We look forward to her partnership with museum director Matthew Hargraves, and a bright future here at the Wadsworth."
Blais shared her personal connection to the institution and vision for its future. "Growing up outside Hartford, I came to know the Wadsworth as a place where timeless masterpieces live alongside timely discoveries," she said. "Under Jeff Brown's leadership and the board's guidance, the museum is embracing a renewed sense of identity and purpose, and museum director Matthew Hargraves is advancing a compelling vision that both honors its history and energizes it in powerful ways."
The Wadsworth Atheneum holds a distinguished place in American cultural history. Founded in 1842 by Daniel Wadsworth, one of America's first art patrons, the museum claims the title of the oldest continuously operating public art museum in the United States. Its prestigious collection has earned national recognition, ranking 18th in The Washington Post's 2024 roundup of the 20 best American art museums.
Art critic Sebastian Smee highlighted the museum's exceptional holdings in his Washington Post review. "Its baroque, surrealist and Hudson River School holdings are tremendous," Smee wrote. "It boasts the Serge Lifar collection of Ballets Russes drawings and costumes, the Samuel Colt firearms collection, a terrific Wunderkammer display, great costumes and textiles, and destination paintings by, among others, William Holman Hunt, Caravaggio, Joseph Wright of Derby and Norman Rockwell."
The museum's commitment to contemporary art continues through its innovative Matrix program, which Smee also praised in his review. Currently, the program is presenting an exhibition by Sofía Gallisá Muriente that includes a video about a Puerto Rican nationalist who executed a major bank heist in Hartford in 1983. This programming demonstrates the museum's ability to connect historical significance with contemporary artistic expression.
Blais's appointment comes as the museum continues to navigate its role as both a guardian of artistic heritage and a platform for contemporary cultural dialogue. Her experience in stakeholder management and large-scale project oversight positions her to lead the institution through its next chapter of growth and community engagement.
