Reasons Behind the Dismissal of the Philadelphia Art Museum Director
After an emergency board meeting at the Philadelphia Art Museum (PhAM), Director and CEO Sasha Suda was dismissed from her post yesterday, November 4.
Initially reported in *Philadelphia Magazine*, Suda was ousted via email shortly after completing three years of her five-year contract with the museum and less than a month into the institution’s controversial [rebrand](https://hyperallergic.com/1048843/people-really-hate-the-philadelphia-art-museum-rebrand/).
The email reportedly stated that Suda was terminated for “cause” effective immediately, without any further explanation. The museum declined to comment further in a public statement shared with *Hyperallergic*, citing the termination being “an internal matter.”
PhAM confirmed in the statement that Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs and Conservation Louis Marchesano will steer the museum’s daily operations while the board considers candidates for interim director and CEO.
Suda, a Canadian-born art historian who served as the director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada between 2019 and 2022, [endured some conservative criticism](https://archive.is/20221226134038/https://nationalpost.com/opinion/canadas-national-gallery-has-become-a-woke-national-disgrace) over her lack of French language proficiency, what was characterized as a lack of experience, and her approach to fundraising. She joined the Philadelphia institution as director and CEO in mid-2022, inheriting the aftermath of her predecessor Timothy Rub’s resignation over the mishandling of [physical abuse reports against a retail manager](https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-museum-art-james-cincotta-workplace-harassment-hit-20200221.html) and [sexual harassment allegations against an assistant director](https://hyperallergic.com/537548/hundreds-of-philadelphia-museum-of-art-workers-call-for-institutional-accountability-on-sexual-harassment/), in addition to the museum’s slow post-pandemic recovery due to budget and staff cuts and a visitor slump.
Museum staff [had moved to unionize](https://hyperallergic.com/581255/philadelphia-museum-of-art-union-vote/) in 2020, but Suda took the helm of the institution at the boiling point of stalled negotiations regarding pay increases that [culminated in a vote to strike](https://hyperallergic.com/757239/philadelphia-museum-workers-vote-for-strike-as-union-talks-stall/). Less than a month into Suda’s tenure, union staff went on a historic [19-day strike before a contract was ratified](https://hyperallergic.com/770011/philadelphia-museum-of-art-workers-celebrate-victory-after-19-day-strike/) in October 2022. In [June 2023](https://hyperallergic.com/830947/philadelphia-museum-accused-of-reneging-on-union-contract/), the union accused the museum of reneging on a contract provision regarding longevity pay increases calculated based on years of service, resulting in more picketing and rallies.
A [new three-year contract was ratified](https://www.instagram.com/p/DMys3tHJPJJ/) at the end of July. *Hyperallergic* has reached out to the union for comment regarding Suda’s termination.
The museum found its way back into the headlines again in October upon the announcement of its rebrand from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the Philadelphia Art Museum. Many Philadelphians and netizens found the endeavor — led by Suda and a Brooklyn-based design studio to the tune of at least $250,000, as reported by the *[Inquirer](https://www.inquirer.com/arts/philadelphia-art-museum-rebrand-logo-griffin-20251103.html)* — to be a head-scratcher at best and an [unnecessary act of brand butchery at worst](https://hyperallergic.com/1048843/people-really-hate-the-philadelphia-art-museum-rebrand/).
Suda, however, said that the change only made official what both locals and visitors from abroad had colloquially dubbed the museum for years. In an interview at the time with radio station *[WHYY-FM](https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-art-museum-name-change-brand/)*, she said, “When I mention to folks who aren’t engaged in the arts and culture community and I say ‘the PMA,’ they have no idea what I’m talking about — I just have to say, ‘the Art Museum.’”
Museum trustees Jennifer Rice and Yoram (Jerry) Wind told the *Inquirer* that, while they were kept in the loop about the rebrand’s process and progress, the board had been in the dark about the project’s October 8 rollout