RALEIGH, N.C. (NCN News) – The director of the state’s art museum is leaving in two weeks to lead the opening of a new art museum in the United Arab Emirates.
North Carolina Museum of Art Director and North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation, Inc., CEO Dr. Valerie Hillings will be leaving to become the inaugural director of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, a museum of modern and contemporary art announced to open Dec. 11, 2026.
Hillings, who began the role in 2018, presided over significant growth at the NCMA campuses in Raleigh and Winston-Salem and successfully led the largest private fundraising campaign in NCMA history.
“I leave the North Carolina Museum of Art enormously proud and grateful,” said Hillings in a press release on the announcement. “We weathered a global pandemic; reimagined, reinstalled, and grew the People’s Collection; designed and initiated transformational capital projects at the Raleigh and Winston-Salem campuses; and expanded statewide outreach initiatives to serve a larger and more representative audience. The state of the North Carolina Museum of Art is strong and its future bright.”
During Hillings’ tenure, the Museum achieved these successes thanks to appropriations from the Governor and the North Carolina General Assembly and the generosity of individual, corporate, and foundation supporters.
“Valerie Hillings’ vision and leadership will be felt long into the future,” said DNCR Secretary Pamela B. Cashwell. “She never forgot that the North Carolina Museum of Art belongs to the people of North Carolina. We celebrate her tenure and wish her all the best as she assumes this exciting new role, which is a testament to her reputation.”
Prior to joining NCMA, Hillings held senior positions for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation in New York and internationally.
Katherine White, NCMA deputy director since 2018, will serve as Interim Director following Hillings’ departure on Aug. 19. DNCR will hire a search firm to recruit candidates for the next director and CEO.