Walters Art Museum Announces New Appointments

Baltimore, MD—The Walters Art Museum today announced two staff promotions in its new Art and Program Division, comprising the Education, Conservation and Curatorial Departments. Amanda Kodeck has been named the Ruth R. Marder Director of Education and Public Programs, and Julie Lauffenburger has been named the Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director of Conservation and Technical Research.

Julia Marciari-Alexander, the Andrea B. and John H. Laporte Director of the Walters Art Museum, said, “We are incredibly appreciative of the leadership support of the Ruth Carol Fund, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Dorothy Wagner Wallis Charitable Trust and many other forward-thinking and generous donors who have supported the endowment for these critical positions.”

Kodeck most recently held the position of Assistant Director of Education at the Walters and became Interim Director of Education and Public Programs in January 2014. Lauffenburger was Assistant Director of Conservation before becoming the Walters’ Interim Director of Conservation and Technical Research in July 2015.

“After extensive conversations with national leaders in museum education and conservation as well as with members of our own team, it was clear we had the very best candidates for these positions already on staff. Both Amanda and Julie are respected and accomplished leaders in their field. Each brings a winning combination of deep knowledge and experience, and fresh perspectives about the strategic role that the Walters can play in Baltimore and the region. I am grateful for the leadership they have provided as interim directors and delighted to continue our work together,” said Eleanor Hughes, Deputy Director for Art and Program at the Walters.

“The Walters places great emphasis on partnerships and community and our world-renowned collections. I look forward to continuing our successes and creating initiatives to attract and engage new audiences and deepen the relationship with our visitors and members,” said Kodeck.

“In the coming years I look forward to expanding our commitment to preservation and technical study, sharing our work with audiences from Baltimore and across the world, and further engaging our visitors with the collection by exposing the unique craftsmanship and human history of their making,” said Lauffenburger.

Amanda Kodeck, Ruth R. Marder Director of Education and Public Programs

In her new role, Kodeck will lead the 14-member Education Department, which includes Adult and Community, Docent, Family,  and School Programs teams in the creation of dynamic, cross-disciplinary, and cross-cultural programs and interpretation initiatives to engage diverse audiences with the collection. She has held various positions including Head of School and Docent Programs since joining the Walters in 1999. In 2012, Kodeck’s contributions were recognized by the National Art Education Association when she was awarded Museum Educator of the Year, Mid-Atlantic Region.  She holds a bachelor of arts in Art History and Archaeology, master of arts in Art History from the George Washington University, and masters of science in Education, Leadership in Museum Education from the Bank Street College of Education in New York.

Julie Lauffenburger, Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director of Conservation and Technical Research

Lauffenburger will oversee a team of seven full-time conservators, a conservation scientist and numerous fellows and interns in her new role. Founded in 1939, the Walters’ department of conservation and technical research is responsible for the care and conservation of the museum’s historic collections and also for furthering the field of conservation science. Prior to joining the Walters, Lauffenburger worked and trained at the Smithsonian Institution and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She joined the Walters as an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in 1991 and has worked as an objects conservator since 1999. In 2015, she served as conservator and curator for the Gold of the Ancient Americas exhibition. Lauffenburger is also associate editor for the Journal of the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and has lectured and published numerous scholarly essays and articles in her field. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in History of Art from Cornell University and a master of arts and Certificate of Advanced Study in Art Conservation from State University College at Buffalo.

About the Walters Art Museum
The Walters Art Museum, located in downtown Baltimore’s historic Mount Vernon Cultural District at North Charles and Centre Streets, is free and open to the public. At the time of his death in 1931, museum founder Henry Walters left his entire collection of art to the city of Baltimore. Its collection includes ancient art, medieval art and manuscripts, decorative objects, Asian art, and Old Master and 19th-century paintings. The Museum Store offers distinctive gifts, jewelry and books based on the museum’s collections.

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