The Albany Institute of History & Art is searching for a new executive director a year after hiring its last one.
Kristen Oehlrich, who officially took over the role June 1, 2022, is leaving the Albany Institute to pursue another leadership position in the arts and culture sector, according to an official statement from the museum. Today is her final day there. The museum’s board chairman, Michael Tucker, did not elaborate when asked about reasons for Oehlrich’s departure. Oehlrich could not be reached for comment.
W. Douglas McCombs, chief curator, will serve as interim executive director while the Albany Institute searches for a replacement.
Oehlrich succeeded Tammis Groft, who starting at the museum in 1976 and, after working various jobs there, rose to the position of executive director, a position she held from 2013 through Oehlrich’s hiring in 2022. Oehlrich came to the Albany museum after serving as interim assistant director at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass.
During her short tenure, Oehlrich presided over several exhibits, including shows on children’s author and illustrator Jan Brett and photojournalist and activist Gordon Parks; and was there for the awarding of a three-year grant from the Carl E. Touhey Foundation to support the Albany African American History Project.
During a tour of the Parks exhibit late last year, Oehlrich expressed a desire to collaborate with different community groups to improve Albany Institute’s diversity and inclusion during her tenure as executive director.
“A huge part of what my vision is with all the communities that surround this place — whether they be the politicians, the underserved communities, everybody in between — is really bringing everybody together,” Oehlrich said in a Times Union interview in December.