Museum Director appointed at UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art

Irvine, Calif., Dec. 9, 2025 - After a national search, Kathryn Kanjo has been appointed museum director of the UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art. Currently the David C. Copley Director and CEO of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, she will assume her new role in February 2026, where she will also oversee the UC Irvine Jack & Shanaz Langson Institute of California Art.

"This is a watershed moment for the visual arts in Orange County and beyond. The UC Irvine Langson Museum unites three celebrated California art collections - Irvine, Buck, OCMA - into a singular museum supported by UC Irvine's commitment to critical inquiry and excellence," Kanjo said. "I am honored to lead this newly formed organization, working alongside the talented museum team, world-class faculty, and brilliant UC Irvine students to provide all visitors exceptional museum experiences while also creating distinctive learning opportunities for students."

UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art was formed in September 2025 when the University of California, Irvine acquired the Orange County Museum of Art and merged it with the campus's Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art. The unified entity reflects UC Irvine's dedication to curatorial excellence, community service, and the long-term vitality of the region's visual arts ecosystem.

The integrated museum honors OCMA's legacy, recognizes the philanthropy of Jack and Shanaz Langson, brings together more than 9,000 artworks, expands academic integration and serves as a model of creative collaboration. UC Irvine now stewards the 53,000-square-foot Costa Mesa facility located at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, which continues showcasing contemporary art alongside UC Irvine's Gerald Buck and Irvine Museum collections. The Jack & Shanaz Langson Institute of California Art will remain central to research and student training.

"Kathryn brings a tremendous combination of deep curatorial expertise and demonstrated visionary leadership at premier institutions throughout the country," said UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman. "She is the ideal person to lead the museum during this transitional period and into an exciting new future."

Kanjo will oversee the alignment of operations and programming for the collective institution and develop and implement a long-term vision across both sites.

This marks a return to the University of California for Kanjo, who was previously director of the University Art Museum at the University of California, Santa Barbara. During her more than three decades of experience, she also served as the executive director of Artpace San Antonio and held curatorial roles at the Portland Art Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

About the UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art: The UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art unites the legacies and collections of the Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art and the Orange County Museum of Art under a shared mission of public access, scholarship and creative collaboration. Together, they steward more than 9,000 works spanning California Impressionism to contemporary art and advance research, teaching and community engagement in the visual arts. UC Irvine Langson Museum is open to the public with free admission. For more information, visit uci.edu/langson-museum.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation's top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UC Irvine, visit www.uci.edu.

Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus studio with a Comrex IP audio codec to interview UC Irvine faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UC Irvine news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at https://news.uci.edu/media-resources.