Richmond, VA — The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) announced today that Kate Moomaw-Taylor has been appointed as the museum’s Chief Conservator. She began working in her new role on June 25, 2025.
“I’m delighted that Kate will lead the conservation department at a transformative time at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: the beginning of the largest expansion in the museum’s history,” said Director and CEO Alex Nyerges. “As head of the Susan and David Goode Center for Advanced Study in Art Conservation at VMFA, she will oversee the care and treatment of the museum’s ever-growing collection of more than 50,000 invaluable works of art, ensuring that these works remain accessible to, and are sustained for, future generations of Virginians.”
Moomaw-Taylor has worked as a conservator of modern and contemporary art for 18 years, focusing on sculpture, design objects and time-based media. She joins VMFA from the Denver Art Museum, where she worked since 2011, most recently as its Senior Conservator of Modern and Contemporary Art.
“Kate will advance the museum’s conservation efforts, ensuring the vital care of our greatest asset –– the works in our internationally-recognized permanent art collection,” said Artistic Director and Chief Curator Dr. Michael Taylor. “Her extensive experience in undertaking major conservation projects and groundbreaking technical research make Kate the ideal person to lead the Susan and David Goode Center for Advanced Study in Art Conservation through the next chapter of its distinguished history. We welcome her to the VMFA team.”
A founding member of the Contemporary Art Network (CAN!) of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), Moomaw-Taylor helped to build a community and promote exchange among conservators of contemporary art in the United States. Her published articles have addressed treatments of plastic artworks, the care of participatory artworks and the establishment of time-based media conservation at the Denver Art Museum.
Moomaw-Taylor completed training positions at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Washington, D.C.), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Tate Modern (London, U.K.), the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam, N.L.) and the Museum of Modern Art (New York).
She earned an M.A. in art history and an Advanced Certificate in Conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. As an Echols Scholar at the University of Virginia, Moomaw-Taylor achieved a B.A. in interdisciplinary studies.
“I’m honored and excited to be appointed to this role leading a stellar conservation department at such an esteemed institution as VMFA. Conservation has a critical role to play in preparing the museum’s incredible collection for display in the upcoming expansion, and I’m eager to support the department in accomplishing this significant task, in collaboration with colleagues across the museum,” Moomaw-Taylor said. “I also look forward to exploring innovative ways to pull back the curtain on the fascinating work of conservation for visitors and supporters across the Commonwealth.”
Conservation at VMFA
The Conservation Department at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is integral to all aspects of the museum’s mission to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret art for the benefit of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. VMFA conservators examine and treat artworks for exhibitions and loans, assess the condition of incoming acquisitions, carry out preventive conservation measures and perform scientific research into materials, fabrication methods and the deterioration of artworks. All conservation treatment and preservation initiatives are guided by the American Institute for Conservation’s Code of Ethics and conducted in consultation with curatorial colleagues and other specialists.
Opened in 2010, the Susan and David Goode Center for Advanced Study in Art Conservation at VMFA is a vibrant training and research center. Boasting nearly 10,000 square feet of cutting-edge laboratory space, it ranks among the Southeast’s most extensive art conservation facilities. The skilled Goode Center team includes conservators, conservation technicians and mount makers who specialize in the preservation of paintings, objects, paper and photographs.
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About the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, is one of the largest comprehensive art museums in the United States. VMFA, which opened in 1936, is a state agency and privately endowed educational institution. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret art, and to encourage the study of the arts. Through the Office of Statewide Partnerships Program, the museum offers curated exhibitions, arts-related audiovisual programs, symposia, lectures, conferences, and workshops by visual and performing artists. In addition to presenting a wide array of special exhibitions, the museum provides visitors with the opportunity to experience a global collection of art that spans more than 6,000 years. VMFA’s permanent holdings encompass more than 50,000 artworks, including the largest public collection of Fabergé outside of Russia, the finest collection of Art Nouveau outside of Paris and one of the nation’s finest collections of American art. VMFA is also home to important collections of Chinese art, English silver, French Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, British sporting and modern and contemporary art, as well as renowned South Asian, Himalayan and African art. In May 2010, VMFA opened the James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Wing I after a transformative expansion, previously the largest in its history. A new expansion, the McGlothlin Wing II, is planned to open in 2028. Comprising more than 170,000 square feet, it will be the largest expansion in the museum’s history and will make VMFA the fourth largest comprehensive art museum in the United States.
Recently named the 11th best art museum in the U.S. by The Washington Post, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is the only art museum in the United States open 365 days a year with free general admission. For additional information, telephone (804) 340-1400 or visit www.VMFA.museum.
Media Contacts
Jan Hatchette | (804) 204-2721 | jan.hatchette@vmfa.museum
Amy Peck | (804) 773-1791 | amy.peck@vmfa.museum
Camryn Royal | (804) 204-2717 | camryn.royal@vmfa.museum
200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond, VA 23220