Through Big Ideas, Engage People
The Coe offers unique, hands-on programs and exhibitions to engage and support communities, artists, and students of all ages. This enables deeper appreciation of the value of cultures all over the world…because the more we know about one other, the more we can work together for the common good.
Director, Vice Chair: Kenneth Johnson
Kenneth Johnson is a contemporary Native American designer and metalsmith with an extensive career.
Director, President: Rachel de W. Wixom
Rachel has led the development of the current center from idea to reality.
Director, Secretary: Gerald G. Stiebel
Gerald G. Stiebel has been a dealer for over fifty years specializing in European arts.
Director: Vanessa Elmore
Vanessa Elmore is an art appraiser and has been in the art industry for over twenty years.
Director: Mark Jordan
Mark Jordan has over thirty years’ experience in the insurance, budget management and preparation business.
Director: William Wilson
Will Wilson is a Diné photographer who spent his formative years in the Navajo Nation.
Honorary and Emeritus Directors
The work of the Coe Center is supported by a distinguished group of special directors.
Rachel de W. Wixom, President, Executive Director
Rachel de W. Wixom’s extensive experience includes ten years as Head of Publications of the Whitney Museum of American Art
Bruce Bernstein, PhD, Director of Innovation, Chief Curator
Bruce develops the Coe Center public programming, working directly with Indigenous artists and the permanent collection of traditional arts.
Bess Murphy, PhD, Curator
Bess assists in developing and coordinating public programs including workshops, conversations, research visits and demonstrations with Native American artists.
Samantha Tracy, Collections Manager
Samantha Tracy is Diné from Fort Defiance, Arizona, and is a recent graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), where she received a BFA in Museum Studies.
Collection Spotlight with Neebinnaukzhik Southall
Collections Spotlight, a program developed in partnership with First American Art Magazine, is an interactive, online discussion that brings together diverse scholars and Native artists who select artworks from the Coe’s collection to interpret and discuss. The...