Q&A with Dorothy Kosinski
Q. Tell us about your background and where you currently work.
In 2023, I stepped down as Director and CEO of The Phillips Collection after fifteen years of service. Now I am working independently. I am writing, curating, and consulting for a variety of arts and cultural organizations. Another major portfolio is my board service: I am a director on two grant-making foundations; I am a member of the National Council of Humanities; and I serve on the Board of Governors of Folger Shakespeare Library. Last year, I was awarded a three-month residency at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles where I advanced my research and writing on the topic of 'Cultural Practice as an Act of Citizenship'. Lot's more to do on that project! A convening? A book? Just a week ago a long form interview of me was published in the on-line arts journal Brooklyn Rail. I have attached a link here so that you can read more about it'!
Q. How long have you been an IWF member?
I have been a member of IWF-DC since 2017.
Q. How has your career benefited from being an IWF member?
Membership in IWF is life enriching. It is important to meet women leaders who are not in your own field. It adds different perspectives, a more nuanced view of current issues, and leadership philosophies. Now that I am not working 24/7 shepherding a major art museum, I look forward to finding more time to benefit from this rich community of inspiring women. I am happy to have joined the membership committee just recently and hope to contribute in that small way.
Q. Any tips or advice for new members?
I think many new members might find it difficult to juggle their day job responsibilities and the opportunities of IWF membership. I would encourage them to join, enjoy, and participate as much as they can. I find the organization very generous in that way. Come to as many programs as possible, make friends, contacts, and slowly build a new network of terrific women.
Q. What excites you the most right now?
Honestly, I would say my six-year-old granddaughter. Watching her develop new skills, in reading, writing, math, and art, for instance; Seeing her being so physical in swimming and soccer. And observing her emerging personality, her confidence and humor that all gives me hope in our future. I am confident that the children and youth of today have the confidence and vigor to confront and solve the problems that we are creating or neglecting. Of course, this amplifies my conviction that education, the arts, humanities, science are crucial to their future and must be supported by Pre-K through Higher Education and seen as the highest priority for all of us.
Q. What are you reading or listening to?
I enjoy podcasts, and am a devotee of Krista Tippett's "On Being" podcast and newsletter. I enjoy her long-form interviews with theologians, philosophers, writers, and poets on the fundamental topics of each human being. I often re-listen to my favorites. I can hear in my mind the sound of poet Wendell Berry's unique voice reciting his work. Recently I've started listening to Emergence Magazine's podcast about issues concerning ecology and native wisdom concerning our lands.
As far as reading, I just finished Ramie Targoff's Shakespeare's Sisters: How Women Wrote the Renaissance. This is a fascinating book about authors that we have never heard of but should! It is great storytelling that opens the window on women's artistic determination despite society's barriers. I am about to go on my beach vacation and again I will bring along Tove Jansson's The Summer Book, the perfect ode to the magic of summer.
Q. What are your favorite places traveled?
I have so many favorite travel destinations. My work as a museum director brought me all over the world. And we lived in Switzerland for many years. A favorite place? I will say Siena; a town I adore and have visited several times. I am excited to visit in the fall and especially to see the cathedral's floor totally exposed and visible, a rarity because of the Jubilee year.
Q. What do you hope to accomplish before the end of 2025?
My essay "Bice Lazzari, Irma Blank and Vera Molnar" will be published in an exhibition catalogue for a show on Lazzari opening at the Brera Museum in Milan in October. I will also finish an essay on the California based painter, Ruth Pastine, for a new monograph devoted to her career. You see how much I am enjoying writing about women artists! Then it is time to turn back to 'Cultural Practice as an Act of Citizenship' and plan that convening and advance my book.