Sharon Corwin

A leading scholar of American art with a strong interest in modernism and photography, Corwin began at Colby as the Lunder Curator of American Art in 2003, before being appointed the museum’s director and chief curator in 2006. During her tenure she supervised the doubling in size of Colby’s art collection to more than 10,000 works, worked with donors to more than double the museum’s endowment principal, and increased the operating budget to support a larger array of initiatives. Among her most important accomplishments was the expansion of the museum’s facilities with the construction of the Alfond-Lunder Family Pavilion, which opened in 2013.

In 2017, Corwin led the founding of the Lunder Institute for American Art, a collaborative initiative with the Colby College Museum of Art that supports innovative research and creative production to expand the boundaries of American art. The Lunder Institute enhances engagement with the museum’s holdings in American art—a collection Corwin has grown to include works by Marsden Hartley, Agnes Martin, Jackson Pollock, Alma Thomas, Jaune Quick-to-See-Smith, Zilia Sánchez, Maya Lin, and Henry Taylor. Under her leadership the museum’s collection and exhibitions have been successfully integrated into the college’s curriculum in innovative ways. Corwin has also led the museum’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity across all platforms of its mission, including its collection, programs, audiences, staff, and board.