Nora Burnett Abrams assumes the role of Ellen Matilda Poss Director on May 1, 2025, joining the ICA from the Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver (MCA Denver), where she has served as the Mark G. Falcone Director since 2019.
An accomplished museum leader and highly regarded curator, Abrams developed and realized a new strategic vision for MCA Denver, deepening the museum’s role as a catalyst for creative energy, community engagement, and artistic experimentation. As director, she increased the museum’s endowment by 30%, led successful fundraising campaigns, and spearheaded the opening of the museum’s second space at the historic Holiday Theater in Denver’s Northside neighborhood. Through a landmark agreement with the Denver Cultural Property Trust, Abrams ensured the city’s creative community would have a long-term hub for the arts and expanded MCA Denver’s impact by developing a new destination for innovative community and artist-driven programming. She also led the creation of the organization’s Racial Equity Plan to further MCA Denver’s dedication to inclusivity, inspiring and building strong teams, engaging internal and external stakeholders, and broadening institutional development.
Over her 15 years at MCA Denver, Abrams took on roles of increasing scope and responsibility, serving as adjunct curator (2009), associate curator (2010–2015), curator (2015–2018), and Ellen Bruss Curator & Director of Planning (2018–2019), helping increase the museum’s attendance by more than 200% before being named director in 2019. Within the curatorial department, she organized more than 40 exhibitions and authored or contributed to more than 15 publications. Abrams was the curator of some of MCA Denver’s most successful exhibitions, including Basquiat Before Basquiat (2017); the first-ever survey of Senga Nengudi’s R.S.V.P. sculptures (2014); and Fieldwork (2018), a retrospective of Tara Donovan; and she co-curated Cowboy (2023), a thematic group show exploring the mythology of the American West. As director, she oversaw the expansion of the museum’s youth programming, including the launch of a workforce development program for young creatives, and grew a range of multi-disciplinary adult programs.
Abrams serves on the Board of Trustees of the American Association of Museum Directors and is an alumna of the Center for Curatorial Leadership (2018 class). She also served as a co-chair of Mayor Mike Johnston’s transition committee for Denver’s Arts & Venues (2023). Prior to MCA Denver, Abrams worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She holds a Ph.D. in the history of art from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, an M.A. in Modern Art and Critical Studies from Columbia University, and a B.A. in Art History from Stanford University.