Elliot Josephine Leila Reichert Named Senior Curator at Weisman Art Museum

Elliot Josephine Leila Reichert will start as senior curator at the Weisman Art Museum (WAM) at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in January. She arrives from Indiana University's Eskenazi Museum of Art in Bloomington, where she spent seven years as the museum's inaugural curator of contemporary art.

Reichert is also an established arts writer and a Hyperallergic contributor. Her move to Minneapolis closes out a formative chapter in Bloomington. She built the Eskenazi's contemporary art program from its inception over nearly a decade of service there.

Why did Reichert choose the Weisman?

In a phone call with Hyperallergic, Reichert pointed to institutional values as the decisive factor. She cited the museum's "commitment to equity and justice and empathy in the arts" and an "incredible sense of staff dedication" as qualities that stood out during her site visit at WAM.

She also flagged her excitement about the cultural life of her new city, noting the dynamic cultural landscape of the Twin Cities as a draw.

What programming signaled the museum's direction?

Reichert singled out the work of WAM curator Kendra Greendeer — a Ho-Chunk Nation member and descendant of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe — on the ongoing group exhibition 'Merciless': Indigenous Lands since 1776. The show addresses Indigenous resilience and characterization in American history.

"Knowing that WAM is willing to put the resources and the time into that kind of programming was a really good sign for me," Reichert said.

The endorsement matters because it links her appointment to an existing institutional commitment rather than a new mandate. In plain terms: she is joining a museum whose priorities she already admires.

What are her plans for the collection?

Reichert outlined two goals for the new role.

• Grow the museum's American modernist art collection to reflect new definitions and directions of core American identity.
• Provide professional mentorship for her curatorial team.

Both aims extend her record of institution-building from the Eskenazi to a university museum with a distinct American holdings profile. The emphasis on mentorship also signals how she intends to manage, not just collect.

What comes next in January?

Reichert begins in January, taking over senior curatorial leadership at a museum that has already invested in Indigenous-centered programming under Greendeer. Her stated priorities — recasting the American modernist collection and developing her staff — will define WAM's exhibition and acquisition agenda in the years ahead, and the January start date gives the museum a near-term milestone to watch.