Sonja Lunde, former deputy director for planning and programs at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts at the University of Utah, has begun her role as director of the University of Vermont’s Fleming Museum of Art.
A seasoned administrator, Lunde has extensive experience with organizational change management, mentoring, strategic planning and programming innovation across museum departments. She is a graduate of George Washington University and holds a master's in organizational and strategic communication from the University of Utah, where her thesis focused on communication essentials for university art museum leaders.
“The privilege of working and teaching in museums is a joyful and serious endeavor teeming with opportunities for learning, discovery and positive change,” Lunde said. “Art and artists have the unique ability to challenge us to examine ourselves, the world in which we live, and I believe that museums do not occupy neutral space within those conversations.”
Born and raised in Vermont, Lunde has a special relationship to the Fleming, as one of her grandfather’s photographs from his days as a World War II naval photographer was featured in an exhibition at the museum. She is eager to join the Fleming at an exciting time of new activities and partnerships, including the integration of the museum with UVM’s new School of the Arts.