MARFA — The Chinati Foundation/La Fundación Chinati announced the appointment of Heather Pesanti and Neil Subin to its board of trustees. With nearly 20 years of curatorial experience, Pesanti brings with her a deep commitment to supporting artists and a unique understanding of both the regional and global arts ecosystems of which Chinati is a part. Subin, who has generously supported Chinati for nearly a decade, spends most of his time in Marfa; as a neighbor and collector of Donald Judd artwork, he is intimately familiar with the foundation’s history and mission.
“We are thrilled to welcome Heather Pesanti and Neil Subin to the Chinati Foundation’s Board of Trustees,” said Board Chair Lee Baumann Cohn and Co-chair Sam Hamilton in a joint statement. “Both extraordinary leaders in their fields, they share a sincere interest in supporting Chinati’s work and a commitment to expanding the Foundation’s communities of friends.”
“As we embark on several key projects to better care for the art, architecture and land that visitors experience at Chinati, we look forward to the wisdom and support that Heather and Neil will provide. We are grateful to have them as part of our dynamic and growing board, which includes leaders from the arts, business, academia, law, architecture, design and philanthropy,” added Caitlin Murray, director of the Chinati Foundation.
Heather Pesanti is curator and vice president of Dimensional Fund Advisors, a money management firm based in Austin, where she oversees an international corporate art collection across 15 global offices. Additionally, Pesanti serves on the Learning and Engagement Committee at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Advisory Council of the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin.
Prior to Dimensional, Pesanti was a museum curator for nearly 20 years, most recently as senior and then chief curator of The Contemporary Austin from 2013 through 2021. During her tenure, she organized monographic exhibitions and outdoor commissions with over 20 artists as well as thematic exhibitions, including Strange Pilgrims and The Sorcerer’s Burden: Contemporary Art and the Anthropological Turn. Previous curatorial appointments include curator of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery (now Buffalo AKG Art Museum) in Buffalo, New York; the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and the MCA Chicago in Chicago, Illinois.
Neil Subin is an entrepreneur, investor, part-time Marfa resident, collector of Donald Judd, and longtime supporter of the Chinati Foundation. Subin currently serves as chief investment officer for MILFAM, a single-family office.
Throughout his career, Subin has served as a director and major shareholder for several telecommunications companies through various cycles of their growth and development. He has extensive experience as an investor, including roles as managing director of the investment advisor to Aspen Advisors and as chairman of Broadbill Partners. He currently serves on the boards of Alimco Financial Corp, Centrus Energy Corp, Frontiersman Holdings, Inc., and Quantlab Financial LLC.