Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites

INDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 5, 2024) — The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites has hired Paula Katz as the museum system’s new curator of art, following the retirement of longtime curator Mark Ruschman in 2023.

Katz had served since 2022 as the interim director and curator of the Herron Galleries at Indiana University, Indianapolis, a position she also held from 2008-14. Before that, she served as executive director of the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art as well as studio manager for Samuel Levi Jones. She started her career at the Columbus Museum in Georgia. She also has extensive experience teaching and has been published in numerous magazines and scholarly journals.

She holds a master of philosophy in the history of art and connoisseurship from Christie’s, London, and the University of Glasgow, as well as an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. She earned her bachelor of art from Tulane University in New Orleans.

“We are delighted to that Paula is joining the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites’ staff,” said Susannah Koerber, chief curator and research officer for the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites. “Her dedication to Indiana art and community involvement will be essential to the museum system’s ongoing work to highlight Hoosier artists.”

In this new role, Katz will oversee the visual arts collection for the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites’ 12 locations across the state and serve as the museum system’s subject matter expert on historic and contemporary Indiana art. As a highly visible member of Indiana’s arts community, Katz will work to identify a broad range of artists who can contribute to the organization’s mission, including finding artists who can contribute to multidisciplinary projects that address art, history and science.

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About the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites
The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites is a museum system with 12 locations across the state, offering visitors a chance to engage with Indiana’s past and present and see how their actions help shape the future. At each location, visitors are invited to explore big questions and create lasting experiences that will resonate long after each visit ends. Whether interested in art or architecture, history or science, there’s something for everyone and every interest. The Indianapolis museum is located in White River State Park in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. The historic sites are located across the state, stretching from Rome City in northeastern Indiana to Evansville in the southwest. Learn more at IndianaMuseum.org.