The new head of the Bates College Museum of Art is an expert in postwar and contemporary Japanese art, photography and feminist art history, and has a forthcoming book about tattooing in contemporary art.

Carrie Cushman will start her job as director of the Lewiston museum on Aug. 18. She is currently a gallery director and curator at the University of Hartford’s art school in Connecticut. Previously, she was a curatorial fellow in photography at the Davis Museum at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she continues to serve as a guest curator. She succeeds Dan Mills, who retired in December 2024 after 14 years at Bates.

“Carrie Cushman is an exciting choice to lead the Bates Museum of Art into its next chapter,” Malcolm Hill, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Bates College, said in a news release. “She is a thoughtful, collaborative, and mission-focused leader whose expansive vision balances rigorous scholarship with a clear passion for the role of art in building community in a liberal arts setting. Her dedication to inclusive and inventive curation reflects the core values of the museum and Bates College — and positions the museum to deepen its impact on campus, in the Lewiston-Auburn community, and beyond.”

The news release said that Cushman has broadened the reach of the arts across the University of Hartford campus, and her acquisitions and exhibitions projects often highlight underrepresented perspectives. She is the co-creator of “Behind the Camera: Gender, Power, and Politics in the History of Japanese Photography,” an open-source digital resource hosted by the University of British Columbia.

“I am thrilled to join the Bates community and steward a museum known for its dynamic exhibitions and educational mission,” Cushman said. “I have long been impressed by the extensive programming and learning resources being generated for diverse audiences by the hardworking staff at the Bates College Museum of Art, and I look forward to working with community partners on campus and within the region to develop a vision for the future of this gem of a museum and art collection.”

Cushman earned a bachelor’s degree in the history of art from Vanderbilt University. She also received a master’s and a doctorate in art history and archaeology from Columbia University, specializing in Japanese art.

“Carrie’s experience curating bold and socially relevant exhibitions, along with her scholarly depth, will help advance the museum’s mission as a site of learning, creativity, and engagement. We look forward to the leadership she will bring to the museum,” said Cat Balco, a professor of art and visual culture who co-chaired the search committee with Hill.

The Bates College Museum of Art has a collection of more than 10,000 objects, including more than 400 artworks and objects made or owned by the modernist painter Marsden Hartley, who was born in Lewiston.