Contemporary art museum’s new director is moving over from the Church History Museum

The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art has named a new executive director, hired away from the Church History Museum.

Laura Allred Hurtado was the global acquisitions art curator for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ museum in Salt Lake City, where she’d worked for six years.

“For nearly 90 years, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art has been an aesthetic force and community leader in Utah and beyond,” Hurtado said in a statement. “I am honored and humbled to be a part of that longstanding legacy.”

UMOCA board president Val Antczak praised Hurtado for her “combination of knowledge and enthusiasm, which will assure that UMOCA continues as a unique, vibrant showcase for contemporary art in Utah.”

In addition to her work at the Church History Museum, Hurtado has worked on or curated exhibits at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Columbia University in New York, as well as multiple venues in Utah, including Nox Contemporary, the Granary Art Center, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, CUAC Contemporary, Riverside Church, the Rio Gallery and UMOCA.

According to Church History Museum director Alan Johnson, “Laura has been instrumental in identifying and developing well-received exhibitions for our patrons. This experience, along with her innate passion for excellence and knack for innovation, make her an excellent fit to lead the UMOCA team.”

UMOCA Is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Fridays from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. at 20 S. West Temple.