Interim Leadership Named for Syracuse University Art Museum

Marcelle Haddix, associate provost for strategic initiatives, today announced an interim leadership team for the Syracuse University Art Museum, a member of the Coalition of Museum and Art Centers (CMAC). Effective Friday, Sept. 23, Emily Dittman will serve as interim director and Melissa Yuen will serve as interim chief curator. This announcement follows news that Vanja Malloy, director and chief curator since August 2019, has accepted a position at the University of Chicago.

“Vanja has done an outstanding job leading the Syracuse University Art Museum and provided creative and operational prowess that enabled the growth of the museum,” says Haddix. “I appreciate her leadership and expertise and wish her the very best in her new role. I also appreciate and extend my deep gratitude to both Melissa and Emily for their eagerness to step up and co-lead such a treasured part of the Syracuse University learning community. I look forward to working with them in their new roles.”

“We are indebted to Vanja for her leadership, for bringing us together as an advisory board and for her dedication to creating a visionary strategic plan and commitment to accreditation,” says Heather Nolin ’94, G’04, chair of the Syracuse University Art Museum Advisory Board. “We are excited to build upon Vanja’s strong commitment to these initiatives and are in good hands with Emily Dittman and Melissa Yuen.”

Dittman G’06, an alumna and a longtime member of the Syracuse University community, was first hired in 2004 as a research assistant in the museum (previously known as Syracuse University Art Galleries). Since then, she has held multiple roles within the museum, including as a collection and exhibition manager and most recently as associate director. She’s also an instructor of museum studies in the School of Design in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. In her role as interim director, Dittman will provide leadership and oversight of the museum’s daily operations; administration and financial management of collections activity; collections care and management; security; marketing and communications; and donor and alumni engagement.

As interim chief curator, Yuen is responsible for conducting scholarly research, generating exhibitions and facilitating access and awareness of the museum’s collection of more than 45,000 objects. Yuen joined the Syracuse University Art Museum in December 2021 as its curator after serving as associate curator of exhibitions and art historian at the Sheldon Museum of Art at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Prior to her role at Sheldon, Yuen was the Curatorial Fellow for European and American Art to 1900 at Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. She holds a Ph.D. in art history from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, with a specialty in Italian Renaissance and Baroque art.