Warhol Museum Taps Mario R. Rossero as Director
148Jan. 10, 2025
TheAndy Warhol Museumin Pittsburgh has announced Mario R. Rossero as its new director and vice president of the Carnegie Museums. He replaces Patrick Moore, whoannounced his departurelast March, after seven years on the job. Rossero, who is currently the executive director of the National Art Education Association (NAEA), is a native of the Pittsburgh area and got his start at the museum as an arts educator in 1997.
“This is really a full-circle moment for Mario and The Warhol, where Mario began his career just three years after the museum opened in 1994,” Steven Knapp, president and CEO of Carnegie Museums, in a statement. “While taking on increasingly complex leadership roles throughout his impressive career, Mario has maintained a sincere and infectious enthusiasm for the mission of the arts, which includes making innovation and creativity more accessible to all. In each of his roles, he has excelled as a collaborative leader and a community convener, and we’re delighted to welcome him back to Pittsburgh and The Warhol.”
While at the NAEA, Rossero helped the organization win an $8.5 million US Department of Education grant to transform arts education in the United States by partnering with music, dance and theater education associations. Prior to his arrival there, he was senior vice president for education at the Kennedy Center. Earlier roles include those with Chicago Public Schools, where he variously served as chief of core curriculum and as director of arts education. Rossero holds a BA in art and education from Washington and Jefferson College and an MSEd in supervision and administration in visual arts from a joint program between Bank Street College of Education and Parsons School of Design.
“I am thrilled to join the Warhol at this unique moment in time to build upon the museum’s history and look towards a future of increased community engagement and creative innovation, all rooted in Warhol’s art, life and legacy,” Rossero said in a statement. “For me this is a homecoming, returning to an institution that played a pivotal role in my early career, shaping my approach and trajectory as an artist, educator and organizational leader. I am excited to share lessons learned from a national lens to invest in the Pittsburgh community and to leverage the opportunity that The Pop District provides for greater sustainability and furthering Warhol’s story and impact.”