News from the Director's Office: Board President Deborah Dupré Gifts $2M Endowment
The Contemporary Austin is thrilled to announce a $2 million gift from Board President Deborah Dupré supporting the museum’s most senior curatorial role, now named the Deborah Dupré Head Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs. The landmark contribution deepens The Contemporary Austin’s commitment to ambitious contemporary art programming and curatorial excellence. The newly named curatorial position will be held by Alex Klein, currently Head Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs.
As only the second named position in the museum’s history and the first endowment gift since 2013, this contribution represents a defining milestone in The Contemporary Austin’s institutional development, strengthening the museum’s endowment and signaling strong philanthropic confidence in the institution’s artistic vision and future trajectory. By supporting the museum’s most senior curatorial role, the gift ensures sustained investment in artistic research, commissioning, exhibitions, and public engagement while strengthening relationships with artists, audiences, and the broader cultural community locally and internationally.
“The Contemporary Austin’s mission to support artists and invite everyone into the cultural conversation of our time deeply resonates with me,” said Deborah Dupré, Board President of The Contemporary Austin.
“Art and creativity belong to everyone, and as Austin continues to grow as a cultural center, the museum plays an essential role in ensuring artists and audiences can connect in meaningful ways. I’ve seen firsthand the remarkable work Alex Klein and the curatorial team have done to present artists at every stage of their careers, commissioning new work and creating space for experimentation that sparks dialogue, imagination, and connection.
"Contributing to the endowment for curatorial leadership is my way of helping sustain that momentum for the future, and I hope it encourages others to join in supporting the vibrant cultural community we are building together.”
"I am deeply grateful to Debbie for her profound generosity, and am uplifted by her sincere commitment to The Contemporary Austin’s organizational mission and values,” said Alex Klein, Deborah Dupré Head Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs.
“It is incredibly meaningful and motivating to me on both a personal and professional level to have Debbie’s trust and confidence in our work. This kind of structural support reinforces the importance of the arts at a time when our community needs them more than ever.”
Curatorial Programming 2026 - 2027
Through its curatorial program, The Contemporary Austin is committed to bringing a broad and diverse array of contemporary artists representing different mediums, career stages, and perspectives to Austin. Opening in spring 2026, the museum will present Suzanne Deal Booth / FLAG Art Foundation Prize recipient Sable Elyse Smith’s major solo exhibition, which will travel to The FLAG Art Foundation in New York in the fall, reflecting The Contemporary Austin’s growing role in developing ambitious contemporary art projects with national and international resonance. Contemporaneously the exhibition, Carl Cheng: Nature Never Loses continues to travel to venues in Europe and will conclude its tour at ICA LA in September 2026. The substantive catalogue, published by JRP | Editions will be released in the U.S. in spring 2026.
In fall 2026, The Contemporary Austin continues its commitment to partnering with other organizations to bring some of the most compelling exhibitions to Austin with its presentation of The Living Temple: The World of Moki Cherry organized by Ars Nova Workshop in partnership with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia. The exhibition will mark the largest U.S. retrospective of the Swedish interdisciplinary artist Moki Cherry (1943–2009). Bringing together textiles, ceramics, posters, video, sound, and archival materials, The Living Temple: The World of Moki Cherry will introduce Austin audiences to Cherry’s community-centered approach to art and life while connecting to its vibrant music community. Looking ahead to spring 2027, an exciting new commission by Deborah Dupré Head Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs, Alex Klein, will bring together Austin-based choreographer Deborah Hay and performance and installation artist Michael Smith for their first collaboration, a video installation and performance work.
Recent exhibitions have paired internationally established artists with those at pivotal stages in their careers, from Jiab Prachakul and Raul De Lara’s first major solo museum presentation in 2025 to Lubaina Himid, the 2024 Suzanne Deal Booth / FLAG Art Foundation Prize recipient whose work continues to receive global recognition, as well as Raven Halfmoon and Eamon Ore-Giron’s traveling presentations, the latter of whom has since secured major public commissions in New York and Los Angeles.
Together, The Contemporary Austin’s innovative curatorial programming positions the museum as a leading cultural institution nationally, alongside its role as the premier center for contemporary art locally.
Read the exclusive announcement in the Austin American-Statesman
DEBORAH DUPRE
Deborah Dupré is a visionary arts leader, collector, and philanthropist whose commitment to contemporary art has strengthened institutions both locally and nationally. A former attorney and owner of a contemporary art gallery in London, Dupré combines deep market knowledge with a lifelong dedication to advancing artists and the visual arts.
Since joining The Contemporary Austin’s Board of Trustees in 2017 and becoming Board President in 2022, Dupré has provided steadfast leadership during a pivotal period of growth for the museum. Under her presidency, The Contemporary Austin adopted a bold new strategic plan and secured an additional $3.5 million over two years to ensure its successful implementation — positioning the museum for long-term impact and sustainability.
An active supporter of leading arts organizations in Austin and throughout Texas — including the Visual Arts Center, the Blanton Museum of Art, and Texas Performing Arts — Dupré has played a pivotal role in advancing the region’s cultural vitality. She holds a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and a J.D. from The University of Texas at Austin School of Law.
ALEX KLEIN
Alex Klein is the Deborah Dupré Head Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs at The Contemporary Austin, where she works alongside the curatorial team to shape the exhibition program at the Jones Center and steward the sculpture park at Laguna Gloria. Her survey exhibition of Carl Cheng’s genre-defying practice, Nature Never Loses, opened in Austin in fall 2024 and is currently traveling to venues in the US and Europe through 2027. Most recently, she has curated exhibitions with artists including Ragna Bley, Lubaina Himid, Patrick Dean Hubbell, Jiab Prachakul, Guadalupe Maravilla, Manik Raj Nakra, and Sable Elyse Smith. Prior to her current role, she was the Dorothy and Stephen R. Weber (CHE ’60) Senior Curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania (ICA). During her eleven years at ICA she originated numerous exhibitions, publications, public programs, and online initiatives with artists including Linda Goode Bryant, Ane Graff, Barbara Kasten, Michelle Lopez, Nathalie Du Pasquier, Sondra Perry, Suki Seokyeong Kang, and Trevor Shimizu. While at ICA she also created the multiplatform project I is for Institute and created partnerships with organizations including RAW Material Company, Senegal and the Kunsthalle Lissabon, Portugal. Previously she held positions in the Carnegie Museum of Art’s Hillman Photography Initiative, the Wallis Annenberg Photography Department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Roski School of Fine Arts at the University of Southern California (USC), and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. She has published widely and is a founding member of the arts workers advocacy group Museums Moving Forward. She received her MFA from UCLA, Los Angeles; her MA in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London; and her BA in Art History from Columbia University, New York.
Photography by John Pesina