MEMPHIS—Memphis Museums of Science & History (MoSH), the managing organization over the Pink Palace Museum & Manson and Lichterman Nature Center among other treasured assets, has announced a new Director of Exhibits & Collections.
Dr. Jeanne Haffner will lead curatorial vision for the institution as it enters a new phase of holistic planning. Haffner brings experience in all aspects of exhibition development and museum administration. She has curated award-winning exhibitions and also served as executive director of two science centers. Her portfolio includes the award-winning Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center, WindScape Brooklyn, an exhibition on tree science at the Bayard Cutting Arboretum, and New York Historical’s celebrated Hudson Rising exhibition.
“The Museums of Science and History have long been dedicated to educating the public about the history of Memphis and its surrounding region,” said Haffner. “I believe this important institution can also shape its present and future through placemaking and community engagement.”
“We are thrilled to bring Jeanne’s expertise and research acumen from Brooklyn to Memphis,” said Jeffrey King, Executive Director of MoSH. “I am excited for all that we can offer our members and visitors as we apply her experience and passion to our museum spaces.”
“Collaborating with MoSH’s incredible education department, directed by Kimberly Taylor, will be an exciting component of this work,” continued Haffner. “How can we hit curriculum points for teachers while giving students a different experience than a classroom?”
Trained as a historian of science, landscape, and the built environment, Haffner is the author of two books, the edited volume Landscapes of Housing: Design and Planning in the History of Environmental Thought (Routledge, 2021) and The View from Above: The Science of Social Space (MIT Press, 2013), and has taught at Harvard, Brown, and Hofstra Universities. Haffner’s writing on environmental design and visual representations of the built landscape has appeared in The Guardian, Arch+, Landscape Architecture Magazine, Urban Omnibus, Atlantic Cities, among other publications. She has held fellowships at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, the ETH-Zürich, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, and the Center for Metropolitan Studies at the Technische Universität Berlin. In 2013, she won a Certificate for Teaching Excellence at Harvard.
For more information surrounding upcoming exhibits and events at the Pink Palace Museum & Mansion and Lichterman Nature Center, visit moshmemphis.com.
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ABOUT MOSH. The Museums of Science and History (MoSH) is the parent organization for a collection of Memphis’ greatest treasures – Pink Palace Museum & Mansion, Lichterman Nature Center, Mallory-Neely Historic Property, and Coon Creek Science Center – and offers visitors opportunities to experience the best of the region’s natural history, science, and culture. There is truly something for everyone at MoSH. For more information, visit moshmemphis.com.