George Kinghorn has been named as the new director of The University of Maine Museum of Art. Kinghorn most recently served as deputy director and chief curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville in Florida. He will begin at the museum in Bangor on June 9th.

Kinghorn’s vision for the museum includes extensive community outreach and strong collaborations with faculty and students. Through informal lunchtime lectures, diverse exhibits and educational programming for people of all ages, he hopes to build the museum’s audience. It is his goal to increase the museum’s visibility statewide and make it a destination – similar to the way people travel to the Portland Museum of Art and the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. He believes the museum can play a larger role in Bangor’s evolution as a cultural destination, and that with his expertise in contemporary art, the museum can become a central gathering spot for Maine’s contemporary art scene. Kinghorn’s arrival in Maine coincides with the fifth anniversary of the museum’s move to downtown Bangor.