Elizabeth Broun

Dr. Elizabeth Broun oversaw the foremost collection of American art since she assumed the directorship of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery in 1989 until her retirement in 2016. She broadened the canon of American art by featuring artists of ethnic and geographic diversity and she incorporated more dynamic ways of using art to present the American experience. Audiences increased four-fold; major research, exhibition, media, and publication programs were extended across the country and overseas; and online resources used by millions annually. She led ambitious funding campaigns to renovate the museum's two National Landmark Buildings, re-envisioning both as 21^st-century destinations.