| Michael J. Govan Class of 1985 |
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"Fast, quick, bright, and mature beyond his years." This early description of you explains a lot. Your career certainly began fast, when you were hired as an undergraduate to help manage the Williams College Museum of Art and contribute to the conception of MASS MoCA. You were quick off the mark at the Guggenheim, where as Deputy Director at the age of 25 you earned the respect of artists, donors, and administrators in developing major new projects in New York, Venice, and Bilbao. Beginning six years later, you shined as Director of the Dia Art Foundation, transforming it from a specialized source of funding for individual artists into a major player in the world of contemporary art. Most remarkable was your development of a former Nabisco factory into Dia:Beacon—a massive and much-praised home for the foundation's collection, which you had doubled in size. With maturity still beyond your years, you now direct the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, helping to lead its growth, through campus development, acquisitions, and more vibrant exhibitions, into its role as an encyclopedic museum for the 21st Century that resonates with the history and spirit of L.A. We marvel at the thought of what is yet to come, as you pursue your stated goal of helping the public "to experience art in fantastic new ways." In recognition of your distinguished achievement in arts management, Williams College is proud to honor you with its Bicentennial Medal. |
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