Scottsdale Arts announces Christina Brungardt as Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art director

CAPTION: Scottsdale Arts has announced that Dr. Christina Brungardt will be the new director of Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) starting Aug. 31. Photo: Lynn Lane

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The nonprofit Scottsdale Arts has named Dr. Christina Brungardt as director of Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA).

Dr. Gerd Wuestemann, president and CEO of Scottsdale Arts, said the multidisciplinary organization is thrilled to add Brungardt to the team. SMoCA, the only nationally accredited contemporary art museum in Arizona, exists within the nonprofit’s umbrella, which also includes Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Public Art, Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, Canal Convergence, Civic Center LIVE and Scottsdale Arts @ Cattle Track.

“In every conversation with Dr. Brungardt, it was apparent that, besides her strong qualification as a museum director and fundraiser, she fundamentally embraces the identity of SMoCA within Scottsdale Arts, recognizing the opportunities this creates — from reaching a broader audience base to education and outreach to collaborations among visual, performing and public arts,” Wuestemann said. “With an eye toward a future museum expansion, we are excited to have found the right leader for SMoCA’s future.”

Brungardt is the director of institutional giving at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas, one of the largest nonprofit regional theaters in the country. She oversees all foundation, corporate and government support, as well as the Individual Giving team. Brungardt will start as the director of SMoCA on Aug. 31.

Prior to the Alley, Brungardt served as the Gabriele Haberland Director of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) in Wisconsin, where she achieved the American Alliance of Museums' reaccreditation for the museum, organized several exhibitions of modern and contemporary art and developed an institutional giving plan for the organization.

Other museum experience includes serving as deputy director of Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH), where she also worked as interim director to provide key leadership during a period of transition for the organization.

Brungardt’s areas of focus for nonprofit arts organizations are administrative best practices, strategic planning, alternative fundraising methods and financial oversight. She said she is looking forward to working with staff, patrons and institutional partners to build on SMoCA’s successes and to expand on its important role of supporting contemporary artists.

“The strength of SMoCA’s collection and exhibitions, along with its commitment to collaboration, is what drew me to the organization and inspires me to think broadly about the future of museums,” Brungardt said. “It provides an extraordinary opportunity to explore experimentation and connection as only the arts can — grounded in hope and infinite possibilities.”

Throughout her career, Brungardt has served in a variety of capacities in the arts, including working for galleries in New York and Texas, serving as the finance manager of Neue Galerie New York Museum for German and Austrian Art, and teaching art history at Bronx Community College, Hunter College and the University of North Texas. 

Brungardt received undergraduate degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree from the University of Chicago and doctorate from the Graduate Center, City University of New York. Her research focuses on the nexus between the arts and politics from the 1850s to present.

Elizabeth Shaw, SMoCA Committee chair and member of the Board of Directors for Scottsdale Arts, said she is pleased to have Brungardt on board as the new SMoCA director.

“Her thoughtful and focused ideas to enhance SMoCA's exposure, both locally and nationally, as well as her experienced approach to fundraising, will take us to a new level,” Shaw said. “I am looking forward to the future with Dr. Brungardt's leadership.”

Located in Old Town Scottsdale, SMoCA opened in 1999. The museum is located at 7374 E. Second St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251. It is open Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Admission is $13–$16 for non-members; $10–$13 for students, seniors (65+) and veterans; and free for Scottsdale Arts ONE Members, healthcare workers, first responders and patrons 18 and younger. Admission to the museum is pay-what-you-wish every Thursday and every second Saturday of the month. Find more information online at SMoCA.org.

MEDIA CONTACT: Brian Passey | BrianP@ScottsdaleArts.org | 480-874-4626