Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, is extending her sphere of influence to the West Coast, having been named one of three new members of the board of trustees at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

Golden’s appointment comes as no surprise, given the curator’s long-standing history in the art world. In addition to over a decade’s experience at the Studio Museum’s helm, Golden’s knowledge of New York City museums dates back to the late ’80s. She started out at the Studio Museum, and worked in a curatorial capacity at the Whitney Museum of American Art throughout the ’90s before her eventual homecoming.

Amidst a lineup of star-studded members, the most notable of which is Hollywood personality Ryan Seacrest, the addition of Golden to the board brings the museum the kind of art-world industry credentials it can benefit from.

LACMA, Los Angeles.
Photo: Courtesy of Formstack Blog.

Golden will be joined by fellow new LACMA board appointees Soumaya Slim and Caroline Grainge. Slim, who serves as director of Museo Soumaya, her father’s museum in Mexico City, manages a private collection of 66,000 works, while Grainge draws from a background as a fashion executive. In a statement, LACMA CEO Michael Govan described the museum’s board, which now tallies up to 54 voting members, as “diverse” and “multi-talented.”

Even without her newest role, Golden is busy these days, having been appointed to the board of the Obama Foundation in August. Also in 2015, New York City’s Mayor Bill de Blasio invited the curator to join the city’s Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission.

Earlier this month, Golden was honored with the Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence by the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College.