WESTPORT — Ruth Mannes, the executive director of MoCA CT for the last five years, has left the post, museum officials announced in a New Year’s Day statement.
Mannes joined what then was known as MoCA Westport in February 2020, and apparently departed last October, according to her Linked-in page. Her professional status is currently described as a freelance creative consultant.
The institution — formally, the Museum of Contemporary Art / Connecticut — dropped Westport from its name last June for a new name that reflects a mission “to celebrate contemporary art and foster a creative, engaging environment for all … [and] aligns more closely with this mission by removing geographic limitations and highlighting our statewide aspirations,” according to a brief statement issued at the time.
MoCA, which in 2019 moved to its current home at 19 Newtown Turnpike, has a decades-long legacy in town and once was known as the Westport Arts Center.
During Mannes’s time as MoCA executive director, the museum was visited by about 100,000 people, mounted 26 exhibitions and hosted 60 musical performances, according to the statement, as well as sponsoring a variety of educational programs.
Her tenure has “been instrumental in advancing MoCA’s mission and enhancing its reputation as a vital hub for the arts community,” the statement said.
“We are grateful to Ruth for her many contributions to MoCA especially during a challenging time leading us through the COVID pandemic,” William D. Felton, the MoCA board chair, said in the statement. “Ruth’s unwavering passion for the arts and her strategic foresight have impacted MoCA and the broader community.”
There were no comments by Mannes included in the museum statement. The museum’s directors have launched a search for a new executive director. Details about the job can be found by clicking here.
Could the Westport Journal follow up with a call to Ruth Mannes or members of the board or the staff? What happened? Will anyone speak on the record about it? Will anyone speak off the record about it? Don’t readers deserve to know more than what MoCA decides to tell us? Certainly, donors deserve to know how their money is being spent.
Ruth Mannes willingly stepped down from this role and is only on the best of terms with the board of directors and staff at MoCA CT. She left MoCA CT in a better place than what she inherited. Leading this nonprofit organization during and after a pandemic was a highly stressful, burnout role and Ruth felt it was time to hand over the reins to another wonderful candidate. As an aside, this is the worst picture I’ve ever seen of Ruth, who is in fact quite beautiful.
Publisher’s note: Mr. Cooper is married to Ruth Mannes.