Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art
1133 East Seventh Street
Bloomington, IN 47405-7509
1133 East Seventh Street
Bloomington, IN 47405-7509
Mindy N. Besaw joined the Eskenazi Museum of Art in 2025, bringing more than two decades of museum experience, innovative exhibition design, and academic collaboration to the role of Wilma E. Kelley Director. As director, Besaw oversees all facets of the museum’s strategy, operations, and engagement, including exhibitions, collections, teaching partnerships, and public programming.
Before joining the Eskenazi Museum of Art, Besaw was the director of research, fellowships, and university partnerships and curator of American art at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Bentonville, AR), where she led the Tyson scholars of American art program, guided the museum’s partnership with the University of Arkansas, stewarded the early American and modern collections, curated major exhibitions, and championed initiatives to center underappreciated artists and voices. Previously, she served as the art curator at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West (Cody, WY), overseeing the Whitney Western Art Museum.
Besaw earned her doctorate in American Art History from the University of Kansas; her master’s degree in art history and museum studies from the University of Denver; and her bachelor’s degree in fine arts and art history from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
