Jacqueline Stewart new director, president of Film Academy Museum

Stewart becomes the second president of the institution, which opened to the public last September.

Jul 6, 2022

Jacqueline Stewart has been named the new director and president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (Film Academy Museum). On Wednesday, the institution’s board of trustees announced the news of the appointment of the Turner Classic Movies “Silent Sunday Nights” host and film scholar.

Stewart will begin her new job on July 18, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She will oversee the institution’s operations and guide its overall vision. The museum opened to the public in September 2021.

2022 TCM Classic Film Festival Day 3 - Saturday — TCM host Jacqueline Stewart speaks on April 23, 2022 at the screening of “Drunken Master II” during the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres Multiplex in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for TCM)

“Our ambition in opening the Academy Museum was to give Los Angeles and the world an unprecedented institution for understanding and appreciating the history and culture of cinema, in all its artistic glory and all its power to influence and reflect society,” Stewart said in a statement.

Stewart becomes the museum’s second president and director. She will be taking over from Bill Kramer, who recently took a new job as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO.

“It has been a great privilege to work hand-in-hand with Jacqueline as we opened the Academy Museum,” Kramer said in a statement. “I am thrilled that we will continue collaborating in our two new roles. I know the museum will thrive thanks to her rare combination of expertise, creativity and proven leadership. Like movie fans everywhere, I am so thankful to have her guide the future of the Academy Museum.”

Also Read:
Viola Davis rules in ‘The Woman King’ trailer

Since 2020, Stewart has served as the museum’s chief artistic and programming officer. In this role, she leads strategy and planning for the Academy Museum’s curatorial, educational and public programming initiatives. This includes the Academy Museum Podcast and other screenings and exhibitions.

Stewart holds a B.A. in English from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Chicago. She was a 2021 recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and 2019 senior fellow at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). She has been a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 2018 and holds an appointment at the University of Chicago as Professor of Cinema and Media Studies.

In addition, Stewart is the chair of the National Film Preservation Board and wrote the acclaimed 2005 book on African Americans and silent cinema, “Migrating to the Movies: Cinema and Black Urban Modernity.”

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!