Museum of Art Fort Collins Names Lynn Boland, PhD, as New Executive Director
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Museum of Art Fort Collins (MoA) announced today that Lynn Boland, PhD, will become the museum’s next Executive Director, effective July 15, 2026. Boland brings more than 15 years of museum leadership experience, most recently as Director and Chief Curator of the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art (GAMA) at Colorado State University (CSU), where they led the institution through significant growth in visitation, community programming, institutional partnerships, and fundraising.
Steve VanderMeer, board chair of the Museum of Art Fort Collins, noted, “Dr. Boland’s arrival at MoA as the incoming executive director, is viewed with great anticipation by the board of directors. Ms. Hatchadoorian’s soon-to-be-completed tenure at the museum has positively positioned the institution for a successful future, where we expect Dr. Boland and museum staff to thrive. The coming years will no doubt see significant change, as future programming and exhibits, the relationship with the community and the status of the iconic Post Office building ensure exciting days ahead.”
One of the museum’s top priorities going forward will be to raise funds to renovate its gallery spaces and create a more accessible entrance to the historic 1911 building, eventually adding additional galleries and a rooftop terrace. “Fort Collins is ready for a stronger anchor for the visual arts and MoA is perfectly situated to fill that role – revitalizing the museum’s facilities is key,” said Boland. “I’ve greatly admired MoA’s growth, its community service, and its programming excellence under Lisa’s leadership, and I’m honored and excited to be a part of the museum’s next chapter alongside this community I love.”
Boland holds a PhD and MA in Art History from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to CSU, Boland spent eight years as the Pierre Daura Curator of European Art at the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia (UGA). There they organized major exhibitions and catalogues such as Cercle et Carré and the International Spirit of Abstract Art and Paper in Profile: Mixografia and Taller de Gráfica Mexicana, receiving awards from the American Alliance of Museums, Art Libraries Society of North America, and the College Art Association, among others. Boland serves as an active accreditation peer reviewer for the American Alliance of Museums, recently served as Colorado representative for the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, and has taught museum management and art history courses at both CSU and UGA.
Boland’s tenure at GAMA (2017–2025) was marked by institutional growth and inclusion: the museum’s operating budget nearly doubled, its collection grew from approximately 3,000 to nearly 6,000 objects with a doubling of BIPOC representation, and class use by CSU faculty more than tripled. They oversaw and contributed to a major increase in collection scholarship at GAMA, including five publications and more than 50 exhibitions, most recently, 3óóxoneeʼnohoʼóoóyóóʼ /Ho’honáá’e Tsé’amoo’ėse: Art of the Rocky Mountain Homelands of the Hinono’eino’ and Tsétsėhésthese Nations (2025). Boland led the creation and execution of two strategic plans, established three new endowments, and secured major grants, including ones, most recently, from the Terra Foundation for American Art and the Henry Luce Foundation.
A dedicated member of the Fort Collins arts community and a MoA member since 2017, Boland has remained closely connected to museums since leaving GAMA in 2025, working as an independent curator and advisor, including organizing a series of Andy Warhol exhibitions for the University of Wyoming Art Museum. Boland also co-organized Art & Access: New Directions in Prints and Multiples, a traveling exhibition scheduled to open at MoA in October 2026, as well as Deck of Art Fort Collins, a community art project featuring 54 local artists launching this fall.
“Speaking for myself as well as the MoA staff, we are incredibly excited and honored to have Dr. Boland join the MoA team for its next phase of community connection, impact, growth and bringing the best of local and regional arts and culture to Northern Colorado” says Lisa Hatchadoorian, outgoing MoA Executive Director.
Boland will assume the role of Executive Director on July 15, 2026.