2024 Show Judge

Rod Bigelow has served as executive director and chief diversity and inclusion officer of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art since 2013, guiding all facets of the museum’s development and reflecting his more than 20 years of experience in management of arts and cultural institutions. He joined Crystal Bridges in 2010, serving as the deputy director of operations and administration, focusing on organizational and policy development as well as construction activities leading up to the museum’s opening in November 2011.

During Rod’s tenure at Crystal Bridges, the museum has welcomed more than 12 million visitors. Prior to joining Crystal Bridges, Rod was chief operating officer at the Toledo Museum of Art, where he implemented a federal grant program to increase funding for the museum’s sustainability projects, initiated collaboration with local non-profits, and supported multiple construction projects. He was appointed interim executive director at the Toledo Museum of Art in 2009.

Rod previously served as director of administrative and financial services at The Art Institute of Seattle and spent eight years with the Tacoma Art Museum, serving initially as chief financial officer and later as interim executive director.

He holds a master’s in business administration degree from Pacific Lutheran University. He is a board member of Triple Aught Foundation and Art Bridges Foundation, as well as a member of the Association for Art Museum Directors, the America250 America’s Culture Advisory Council, and the External Advisory Group for the Atlanta University Center’s Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective.