This January, Zoë Ryan will become the new director of UCLA’s Hammer Museum following her role at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania. As she steps into one of L.A.’s most influential cultural institutions, Ryan shares insight into her plans to engage the art scene at large.
Zoë Ryan will become the Hammer Museum director in January 2025; PHOTO BY CONSTANCE MESH
I was drawn to art and art history from an early age and studied art history in the UK and the U.S. I have always been interested in how the arts can catalyze social and cultural change and in the potential of museums to serve as spaces for critical dialogue and exchange.
The Hammer is one of the most inventive and exciting museums in the country. It is a museum that I have visited often which shares my values and interests: its mission is artist-centered, with programs at the intersection of art and social justice. Its connection within a university and a place of learning and knowledge-building is another element of the Hammer that drew me to this opportunity and builds on my own experience and work in the field.
L.A. has a very strong ecosystem and talent pool of architects and designers. I’m excited to get to know this community further. I am also looking forward to getting to work within the newly rethought Hammer building. Architect Michael Maltzan is adept at making campus-like buildings that engage visitors within the galleries and in the public spaces. I think there is a lot that we can do to flex the muscles of the building to engage with it programmatically and as a gathering space for all our communities.
Visit the Hammer Museum in Westwood, located on Wilshire Blvd; PHOTO BY IWAN BAAN
L.A. is a global city, and the Hammer’s mission to create a more just world means that its program is at once deeply connected to its roots in L.A. and also relevant to the exchange of ideas internationally. I am keen to expand on this work by building relationships and deepening our networks in other parts of the globe to further support under-recognized artists, artistic practices and ideas that offer alternatives and help us grapple with the complex world we live in.
I am thrilled that in 2028, in time for the Olympics, the Hammer will be getting a metro stop. This will be a game-changer in terms of increasing access and furthering the museum’s mission as an inclusive institution, as well as opening up new connections between the museum and the city.
In the coming year, the Hammer opens a dynamic series of exhibitions and programs, including a survey of work by the late artist Noah Davis who was based in L.A. It will be a celebration of both his life and career. We will also open Made in L.A. next fall, which has helped put the Hammer on the map as a place to get to know and see work by some of the brightest artistic minds in L.A.
Photography by: Constance Mesh
