Don Bacigalupi, founding president of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and former president and executive director of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, will address graduates of the UT College of Fine Arts Class of 2024. The ceremony takes place Friday, May 10 at 11:30 a.m. in Bass Concert Hall on the UT campus.
“Don has been a transformational figure in the art museum world,” said Ramón H. Rivera-Servera, dean of the College of Fine Arts. “His expansive conceptualization of the arts as a curator and his commitment to sharing the insights and pleasures of creativity broadly as an administrator have resulted in some of the most impressive and impactful museum projects of the past two decades. I can’t wait for him to share his brilliance and enthusiasm with our graduates.”
Bacigalupi (M.A., Art History, 1985; Ph.D., 1993) is a visionary leader in the development and creation of major art collections and institutions in the United States. With more than 25 years of experience in innovative museum management, collection and exhibition development and inspired educational programming, Bacigalupi has created pioneering institutions in the collection, presentation and exploration of art. He was honored with the College of Fine Arts’ E. William Doty Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2015.
Most recently, Bacigalupi served as founding president for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, currently under construction in Los Angeles. Previously he was president and executive director of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, where he led all aspects of the museum’s planning, development and construction, leading to its opening in 2011. Earlier, Bacigalupi served as president, director and CEO of the Toledo Museum of Art, where he oversaw the construction and opening of its world-renowned Glass Pavilion. He previously served as the executive director of the San Diego Museum of Art and Blaffer Art Museum at the University of Houston.
Bacigalupi has served on the boards of numerous organizations, including the Association of Art Museum Directors and the National Committee of the International Council of Museums. A respected scholar and seasoned lecturer both domestically and abroad, he has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards and was a 1996 fellow at the Getty Trust.
He founded Don Bacigalupi Art Counsel Inc. in 2019, and he is based in Los Angeles and Palm Springs.