32 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {punchline} about applying to the Cantor when she heard of its vacancy. Why leave the fast-paced, creative role of curator for the heavily administrative responsibilities as the John and Jill Freidenrich Director of the Cantor Arts Center? Veronica laughs and admits the job can be “kind of like playing Whac-a-Mole, solving problems all day long.” She is quick to point out, however, “If you care about the ecosystem of the museum, and culture and art, it is essential that they be well-run.” She feels that her role is really “to see the bigger picture and have a vision that will inspire the staff.” The Cantor, like many museums, is coming back from a difficult few years of pandemic isolation and staff departures. Veronica has made it a priority to address the “lean staff” by hiring a completely new leadership team. Although several more key positions need to be filled, she believes that the museum has “reset” and is on the right track for the future. Barbara. At the time, she had three living grandparents nearby, all in their nineties. “One of the best things about grad school was the time I got to spend with my grandparents,” she says. Pursuing a career as a curator requires the flexibility to relocate, so Veronica returned to the East Coast to work her way up from temp at the Whitney Museum of American Art to curatorial assistant at the Museum of Modern Art in New York—then out west as curator of modern and contemporary art at the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas. During her tenure at the Blanton, Veronica oversaw major projects like the reinstallation of the museum’s contemporary collection while also curating nationally touring exhibitions, including Nina Katchadourian: Curiouser and Day Jobs, which is currently on view at the Cantor. Though fulfilling, she didn’t think twice
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