The Springfield Museums announce Kris Ludwig as Curator of Art and Elizabeth Kapp as Curator of History.

A member of the Springfield Museums staff for many years, Kris Ludwig now holds the position of Curator of Art. He began working at the Museums in 2005, first as an intern, then as Preparator, and finally as Manager of Exhibit Services before taking on his role as curator in late 2023. Between 2009 and 2013, he was teacher of record at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, then adjunct faculty at Springfield College, teaching painting, drawing, and the fundamentals of design. He maintains a home studio, exhibiting his work regionally. Kris holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Studio Art from Springfield College and a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. Kris is enrolled in the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Dartmouth and expects to complete a Master of Business Administration degree in 2024.

“Over the last eighteen years, it has been an honor, and a great pleasure, to share my passion for art, craft, and design with countless museum visitors through my work on exhibits at the Springfield Museums. It is a privilege to continue to do so as the Curator of Art,” says Ludwig.

Elizabeth Kapp joins the Springfield Museums as Curator of History. With an undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a master’s from the Cooperstown Graduate Program, Kapp has previously worked at the Arizona Historical Society, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art, the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, Colonial Williamsburg, and Old Sturbridge Village. In 2023, her exhibit Rebuilding Home Plate: Baseball in Arizona’s Japanese American Incarceration Camps was honored by the Western Museums Association with the Charles Redd Award for Exhibition Excellence.

“I’m looking forward to working with the community and exploring Springfield’s incredible past and present together,” states Kapp.

“We are delighted to welcome Kris and Liz, dedicated and experienced museum professionals, to the Museums’ team and eagerly anticipate the innovative ideas and creative insights they will bring to our displays and exhibits,” says Heather Haskell-Burns, Vice President and Director of the Art Museums.

To learn more about the Springfield Museums’ mission and vision and governance, please see SpringfieldMuseums.org/about/mission-and-governance/.