Norm Crampton, Special to The Herald-Times
David A. Brenneman, director of the Eskenazi Museum of Art, has accepted the position of director and CEO of Telfair Museums, in Savannah, Georgia, and will be leaving the museum on the IU Bloomington campus at the end of August.
Telfair Museums, founded in 1886, is the oldest public art museum in the South and includes three sites: Jepson Center for the Arts, Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, and Telfair Academy.
According to an announcement by the Savannah organization, Brenneman “brings a wealth of experience in museum leadership and deep commitment to cultural stewardship, positioning Telfair Museums for continued growth and community engagement.”
Brenneman has been the Eskenazi director since 2015. He is credited with leading the $30 million renovation of the building, developing an acquisitions strategy to strengthen its collections, and creating partnerships with the Tsinghua University Art Museum in Beijing, China, and the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky.
Before coming to Eskenazi, Brenneman was director of collections and exhibitions at the High Museum of Art, in Atlanta. During his tenure in Georgia, he received an award from the French government for leading a 3-year collaboration and exchange program between the High Museum and the Muse´e du Louvre in Paris.