Via PR

Chicago - Mariah Keller will become the new Executive Director of Wrightwood 659, an arts space in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando. Founded in 2018, Wrightwood 659 hosts exhibitions on socially engaged art and architecture, on issues facing LGBTQ+ communities, and on Asian art and architecture.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mariah Keller as the new Executive Director of Wrightwood 659,” says Fred Eychaner, Co-Founder, Wrightwood 659. “Mariah brings a wealth of experience from respected cultural institutions, and her leadership, vision, and commitment to excellence align perfectly with our goals. We are confident her expertise will guide Wrightwood 659 into an exciting new chapter.”

Keller notes, “I am delighted to be joining this extraordinary gem in Chicago. The museum’s commitment to socially engaged art and architecture, its leadership in presenting exhibitions addressing issues facing LGBTQ+ communities, and its deep engagement with Asian art and architecture make it a truly singular place. I look forward to working alongside the dedicated and deeply committed staff as we continue to expand its impact and reach.”

Prior to her appointment, Keller held several leadership roles at the Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University Bloomington, a 112,000-square-foot museum designed by I.M. Pei. She was most recently interim director where she led the museum’s academic research and teaching collaborations, day-to-day operations, and the execution of a robust exhibition program and acquisitions strategy. During her tenure there since 2016, Keller oversaw publishing, marketing and communications, graphic design, photography and museum technology and also served as a member of the museum’s senior leadership team, contributing to strategic planning and management of the operating budget. Keller also served as Head of Publications and Digital Media at the Saint Louis Art Museum, and, as founder of Keller Editing, successfully shepherded more than 50 books to completion from concept to print. Earlier in her career, Keller was senior editor at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, editor at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and a program assistant at the National Gallery of Art. 

Keller succeeds Jan Kallish, who has led Wrightwood 659 since 2021, and who is retiring and returning to entrepreneurial projects in theatre and the performing arts. “We extend our deepest gratitude to Jan for her four years of dedicated leadership,” says Eychaner. “Jan joined us full time while the world was still emerging from COVID and did a remarkable job stabilizing and expanding our footprint, leading our talented staff to mount 20 successful exhibitions. Her energy and enthusiasm will never be forgotten, and she has promised she will remain engaged with Wrightwood 659 as she returns to her first love—the theatre.” In addition to her work on critically acclaimed exhibitions, Kallish expanded Wrightwood 659’s industry-leading Educator program, which trains early-career participants to serve as gallery guides and conversation partners.  

Next at Wrightwood 659 will be two exhibitions on view April 17 – July 18, 2026: Martin Wong: Chinatown USA, the first U.S. monographic museum exhibition since 2017 of Chinese American artist Martin Wong (1946–1999), and Dispossessions in the Americas: The Extraction of Bodies, Land, and Heritage from La Conquista to the Present, bringing together over 40 works by 36 contemporary artists from across Latin America whose work broadly seeks to critique and unsettle the long-standing politics of dispossession. For more information, please visit www.wrightwood659.org.