Whitney Curator Departs to Lead Indigenous Art Collection

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Laura Phipps will depart her role as associate curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art and join The Gochman Family Collection (GFC) as director, the New York-based organisation announced today. 

The private collection, which holds more than 750 works, champions Native American art and supports artists whose practices engage with colonial worldviews and challenge dominant historical narratives. 

In a statement, Phipps said: “The Gochman Family Collection represents an extraordinary commitment to contemporary Native artists and to building structures that prioritise visibility, research, and long-term support.

“I am honoured to join an organisation that is rethinking what a collection can be—not as a site of authority, but as a platform for collaboration and exchange.” 

Phipps’ appointment coincides with the announcement of GFC’s plans for a new, 900-square-metre exhibition space in Katonah, New York, which is slated to open in autumn this year. 

The space will present rotating exhibitions drawn from the collection’s holdings, which will continue to expand to include additional artists whose work broadens and deepens global conversations around identity, history, and cultural perspective. 

“Laura understands that contemporary Native art is central to American art history,” said the GFC’s creative director and curator, Rachel Martin (Tlingít), in a statement. 

“Her collaborative, artist-first practice reflects our belief that collections can function as living, responsive ecosystems. The Katonah space will allow us to deepen that work, creating an environment where ideas can be exchanged and new perspectives can emerge.”

Phipps joins GCF following more than 15 years at the Whitney, during which she organised major exhibitions including Jaune Quick-to-See Smith: Memory Map (2023), the most comprehensive exhibition of the artist’s work to date.

She also co-chaired the museum’s Indigenous Art, Artists and Audiences Working Group, advancing institutional engagement with Indigenous artists and communities.

The GFC was co-founded in 2021 by Becky Gochman and Zach Feuer, with a mission to foster dialogue, encourage exchange, and contribute to a broader, more nuanced worldview of contemporary Indigenous creative expression.

The pair also previously co-founded the independent, Native-led nonprofit organisation, Forge Project, which works to cultivate and advance Indigenous leadership in arts and culture.