Chief Curator Records

Deborah Emont Scott earned a degree at Livingston College of Rutgers University and went on to get a master's degree in history of art at Oberlin College (Ohio). While in graduate school, Scott worked at the Allen Memorial Art Museum. Afterwards, she worked at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art where she was Curator and Acting Director. In 1983, Deborah was appointed Sanders Sosland Curator of Twentieth Century Art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, in Kansas City, Missouri, and in 1998, she was named Chief Curator.

During her tenure at the Nelson-Atkins, Deborah organized numerous exhibitions, including those featuring artists Louise Bourgeois, Julian Schnabel, and Gerhard Richter. Scott played a leadership role in a major expansion and renovation of the Nelson-Atkins, which included the Bloch Building designed by architect Steven Holl. She also served as Project Director of the development of the 22-acre Kansas City Sculpture Park that surrounds the museum. In 2009, Scott transferred to the Taft Museum of Art, in Cincinnati, Ohio, as Museum Director and Chief Executive Officer.