Sarasota Art Museum senior curator heading to Seattle

Rangsook Yoon, senior curator of the contemporary Sarasota Art Museum campus of Ringling College and Design, is leaving to join the Frye Art Museum in Seattle.

Yoon’s last day at SAM, which is housed in the former Sarasota High School on Tamiami Trail, is May 1. “That will allow me to see our upcoming exhibition, ‘Something Borrowed, Something New,’ through its completion on April 17,” Yoon says.

The exhibition features major modern artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Chuck Close, David Hockney, Yoko Ono, Kara Walker and Ai Weiwei. Their works have been loaned by private collectors in Southwest Florida to SAM for the show, which runs from April 19 through Sept. 27.

Commenting on Yoon’s departure, SAM Executive Director Virginia Shearer said in an email to the Observer, “Rangsook has had a lasting and positive impact on SAM. The quality and appeal of SAM’s exhibitions and her deep commitment to scholarship, all stand as hallmarks of her successful tenure.”

Shearer added, “On a personal note, we will greatly miss her collegiality, leadership, and generosity of spirit. We wish her every success in the next chapter of her journey.”

Yoon was recruited for the newly created role of senior director of curatorial affairs at Frye during a national search managed by DSG Global. She starts her new job at the end of May.

Since joining SAM in 2022, Yoon has curated numerous exhibitions that increased attendance and drew national attention for SAM. Among them are “Art Deco: The Golden Age of Illustration,” “Joe Fig: Contemplating Vermeer,” “Chris Friday: Where We Never Grow Old,” “Stephanie J. Woods: my paper used to play checkers” and “Judy Pfaff: Picking up the Pieces.” Pfaff’s show was a two-pronged exhibition inspired by Hurricane Ian in 2022 and a whirlwind housecleaning effort by the celebrated art professor at Bard College in upstate New York.

Yoon was SAM’s curator during its participation in Skyway 2024, a collaboration of five Tampa Bay museums, including three in Sarasota, that showcased the work of contemporary Florida artists.

Yoon collaborated with the Hermitage Artist Retreat in Englewood for the exhibition, “The Truth of the Night Sky: Anne Patterson and Patrick Harlin.”

Prior to joining SAM, Yoon served as director of curatorial affairs and curator of modern art at Artis-Naples, The Baker Museum. Previously, she was director of experiences and curator at the Art & History Museums in Maitland.

Born and educated in South Korea, Yoon studied French language and literature at Korea University in Seoul before moving to the U.S. to pursue art history education. She earned a master’s degree from Cleveland State University and a PhD from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.

While researching her dissertation, Yoon spent several years in Europe, including a year in Munich studying German and conducting archival research. She gained expertise in the Munich Secessionists, whose work forms an important part of the Frye’s founding-era collection, the museum noted in a press release.

Created by 13 founding members, mainly artists and philanthropists, in 2003, the Sarasota Art Museum was able to transform the Sarasota High School building into a contemporary art museum through a partnership with Ringling College of Art and Design. It opened to the public in 2019.