The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum has announced significant changes to its Department of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs (PDP) leadership team. The museum has named Michael Hartman as the new Houghton P. Metcalf Jr. Curator and Head of the Department, effective October 1, 2025, while promoting Conor Moynihan to Associate Curator and welcoming Tori Champion as the Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow.
Michael Hartman brings extensive experience from his role as Jonathan Little Cohen Associate Curator of American Art at the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College. During his tenure at the Hood, he oversaw the Arts of the Americas collections spanning from 1500 to the present day. His curatorial achievements include notable exhibitions such as "Beyond the Bouquet: Arranging Flowers in American Art," "Liquidity: Art, Commodities, and Water," "Historical Imaginary," and "Photographs from Hollywood's Golden Era: The John Kobal Foundation Collection."
Hartman also served as site curator for the Smithsonian American Art Museum's traveling exhibition "Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now." He significantly expanded the Hood's holdings of works on paper, with a particular focus on artists who have been historically underrepresented in museum collections. Prior to his work at Dartmouth, Hartman gained valuable experience at the Manton Study Center for Works on Paper at the Clark Art Institute, where he curated the acclaimed exhibition "Extreme Nature!"
The new department head has also made significant contributions to art scholarship through his recent book, "Reenvisioning American Art: Transforming Museum Practice," which he co-edited with Jami C. Powell and was published by University of Washington Press. The book highlights innovative curatorial strategies that elevate Indigenous and Black artists across collections and exhibitions.
Tsugumi Maki, Director of the RISD Museum, praised Hartman's appointment, stating, "Michael's expertise, collaborative approach, and commitment to rethinking art historical narratives make him an exceptional addition to the museum. His vision aligns with our mission to unlock the creative process, empower audiences to participate in the meaning and making of art and design, and envision a world where artistic innovation thrives. We look forward to how he will expand and enliven Prints, Drawings, and Photographs for our campus and community."
Conor Moynihan's promotion to Associate Curator recognizes his outstanding leadership within the PDP department. He served as Interim Head following Jan Howard's retirement in 2023, providing crucial leadership during a pivotal transition period. Moynihan's expertise encompasses modern and contemporary works on paper, with a particular emphasis on accessibility, queer representation, and expanding the range of artists collected and exhibited by the museum.
Under Moynihan's leadership, the department has developed several groundbreaking exhibitions, including "Variance: Making, Unmaking, and Re-making Disability" (2022), "The Performative Self-Portrait" (2023), "Listen!" (co-curated with Christina Alderman and the RISD Art Circle, 2024), "This is a Thing: Recent Gifts to Prints, Drawings, and Photographs" (2025), and a forthcoming survey of former RISD faculty member Dawn Clements.
Moynihan has also facilitated significant acquisitions for the museum's collection, including works by notable artists such as Judith Scott, Christine Sun Kim, Mari Katayama, Riva Lehrer, Rina Banerjee, and Sarah Biffin. His acquisition efforts have also included selections from the Rossner Collection of modernist works and a significant group of Chinese contemporary photographs from the collection of Larry Warsh.
Since joining the RISD Museum as a Mellon Curatorial Fellow in 2019, Moynihan has steadily advanced through the curatorial ranks, officially becoming Associate Curator in 2024. Throughout his tenure, he has mentored fellows, students, and artists, and has been instrumental in recruiting new Mellon Fellows, including Tori Champion. He continues to shape the museum community through his leadership role with the LGBTQIA2S Working Group.
Director Maki commented on Moynihan's contributions, saying, "Conor continues to make impactful contributions to the department, from imaginative exhibitions that open new conversations to acquisitions that expand the voices represented in our collection. We are grateful for his leadership and excited for the ways he will continue to shape the department as Associate Curator."
Tori Champion joins the team as the new Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow, bringing specialized knowledge in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century French art and design. She is currently completing her doctoral dissertation at the University of St Andrews, where her research examines women in art as both artists and subjects, questions of gender, and artists' engagement with natural history. Champion has multiple published and forthcoming works in her field of expertise.
Prior to joining the RISD Museum, Champion served as Predoctoral Fellow at the Morgan Library & Museum's Drawing Institute, where she co-organized a pop-up exhibition and graduate seminar focusing on natural history illustration. Her previous experience also includes serving as the Blakemore Intern for Japanese and Korean Art at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, where she co-curated the 2021 exhibition "Folding into Shape: Japanese Design and Crafts" alongside Dr. Xiaojin Wu.
The Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellowship is designed as a comprehensive three-year position for outstanding emerging scholars pursuing curatorial careers. In this fully integrated role within PDP, Champion will supervise the active study room, serve as the department's liaison to faculty teaching from the collections at both RISD and Brown University, and undertake original research that will culminate in an exhibition during her third year.
Together, Hartman, Moynihan, and Champion represent the strength and vitality of the RISD Museum's commitment to works on paper. Their combined leadership and scholarship will further advance the museum's mission to foster innovative research, expand the collection, and connect diverse audiences with art through dynamic exhibitions, teaching, and collaborative partnerships. The new leadership team is expected to bring fresh perspectives and continued excellence to one of the museum's most important departments.
