Stephanie Smith named as next Director of Krannert Art Museum

Stephanie Smith has been named the new director of Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Smith brings more than a decade of museum leadership experience, a national reputation for excellence in contemporary art and museum practice, and a capacity for guiding museums with both vision and stability. She currently serves as an independent curator and arts consultant based in Chicago and is a 2025–2026 visiting fellow at the University of Chicago's Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society. Previously, Smith served as interim director of the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago, where she provided steady leadership during an extended transition period. In that role, she oversaw a $4.5 million budget, strengthened relationships with donors and advisory bodies, secured institutional support to address capital needs and stabilize finances, and positioned the museum for its next phase of leadership. Jake Pinholster, Dean of the College of Fine an