This exhibition honors the impact and legacy of the late San Francisco- and Houston-based curator, art historian, and museum director Jermayne MacAgy (1914–1964), who was renowned for her dynamic and groundbreaking installations and innovative approach to curating.
MacAgy was among a vanguard of professionals in the 20th century who transformed the art museum into a site of conversation and learning. Working closely with Menil Collection founders John and Dominique de Menil from the mid-1950s until her death a decade later, she deeply impacted the future museum. She encouraged the couple to build a teaching collection and publicly exhibit their art using display techniques that encouraged curiosity and engagement. Dominique de Menil once recalled that MacAgy’s installations created an “atmospheric miracle, which set the work of art in such a light that it would shine and talk to anyone who would care to listen.”
How to Make an Exhibition: The Story of Jermayne MacAgy is organized by The Menil Collection and curated by Michelle White, Senior Curator.
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