The Crow Museum of Asian Art of the University of Texas at Dallas has appointed Natalia Di Pietrantonio, Ph.D., as its new curator. Ms. Di Pietrantonio fills the position that has been vacant since the departure of Jacqueline Chao, who left the museum last fall to become the Cecil and Ida Green Curator of Asian Art at the Dallas Museum of Art.
Natalia Di Pietrantonio, Ph.D., curator. Photo: Natali Wiseman.
Prior to joining the Crow Museum, Ms. Di Pietrantonio was the inaugural Assistant Curator of South Asian Art at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). From 2020 to 2023, she oversaw the care of the museum’s South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Islamic art collections. During her time there, Ms. Di Pietrantonio grew the museum’s South Asian collection by 25 percent. She organized the exhibitions Embodied Change: South Asian Art Across Time and Our Blue Planet: Global Visions of Water (March 2022), and served as the lead curator on an upcoming retrospective of the performance artist Anida Y. Ali.
Installation view of “Our Blue Planet” at the Seattle Art Museum. Photo: Chloe Collyer
While working at SAM, Ms. Di Pietrantonio also served as an affiliate art history faculty member at the University of Washington. Prior to her time at SAM, she was a Visiting Assistant Professor & Postdoctoral Fellow at the Bard Graduate Center in New York and a Research Fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ms. Di Pierantonio holds a Ph.D. in the History of Art from Cornell University, an MA in South Asian Studies from Columbia University, and a BA in the History of Art from the University of California, Davis. Ms. Di Pietrantonio, who was first in her family to attend college, is a first-generation Mexican-American and a polyglot, speaking Spanish, Persian, Urdu, and English.
In a press release, Amy Lewis Hofland, senior director of the Crow Museum, said, “Natalia brings a wonderful vision, a fresh and energetic perspective, and a proven track record in elevating Asian American art and culture in compelling ways. With her background in South Asian and Islamic art, she also will help build the Crow Museum of Asian Art collection, strengthening it to better reflect the growing diversity of our region.”
In this first year, Ms. Di Pietrantonio will organize exhibitions for the Crow Museum’s 10,000-square-foot gallery space in the downtown Dallas Arts District, and work with architects, interior designers, academic faculty, and museum staff to plan the inaugural exhibition at the Crow Museum’s UT Dallas campus location, which is set to open next fall. Additionally, she will serve as a faculty member in the arts department at UT Dallas.
Dr. Inga Musselman, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at UT Dallas, remarked, “As we embark on this enthralling era of expansion for the Crow Museum of Asian Art and The University of Texas at Dallas, we are delighted that Natalia Di Pietrantonio will be leading the curatorial duties at both locations of the Crow Museum of Asian Art. Natalia’s leadership, expertise and desire to engage with students and the North Texas community will be a tremendous asset.”
Ms. Di Pietrantonio stated, “…I am honored to be part of [the Crow Museum’s] storied history known for dynamic and innovative exhibitions and programs. My first major goal is to learn more about the North Texas region — from UT Dallas students and museum supporters to neighborhood organizations and our increasingly diverse populations — so I can help align and tailor the museum programs for its communities.”
Ms. Di Pietrantonio began her new role at the Crow Museum in August.
