HANCOCK, Mass. — Hancock Shaker Village will have a new executive director and CEO with the appointment of Nathaniel Silver. 

 

The Board of Trustees announced the unanimous appointment on Thursday, following a four-month search. Silver will assume his new role on Sept. 19.

 

He replaces Jennifer Trainer Thompson, who stated her intention earlier this year to pursue other projects. 

 

"We are very pleased to appoint Nathaniel Silver as the next executive director of Hancock Shaker Village," said Diane Eshleman, board chair. "He will be an inspirational leader who has curated marvelous exhibitions at the Gardner and is coming to the village during an exciting time when our own dynamic programming is gaining momentum. 

 

"We are incredibly grateful to Jennifer Trainer Thompson for the phenomenal impact she has had at the Village during her tenure and the wonderful legacy she leaves for us. We are pleased that she will be assisting with a smooth transition to the new director."

 

Silver comes to Hancock Shaker Village from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, where he worked for eight years and is the William and Lia Poorvu Curator of the Collection and Division Head, overseeing collections, conservation, publications and archives. 

 

The trustees say Silver was instrumental in shaping and fulfilling the Gardner's strategic plan. He played a key role in making the collection accessible to the widest possible audience and supervised content creation for the museum-wide digitization project. Silver charted new directions in the exhibition program, curating 12 exhibitions including last year's critically acclaimed "Titian: Women, Myth & Power," "Boston's Apollo: Thomas McKeller & John Singer Sargent," including a new commission from contemporary artist Lorraine O'Grady, and "Botticelli: Heroines and Heroes." This program also included 10 publications authored, edited, or co-edited by him.

 

Before joining the Gardner Museum, Silver worked for three years at The Frick Collection in New York City, where his exhibition "Piero della Francesca in America" earned international recognition. He has also was the Edmond J. Safra Research Associate at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., and held fellowships at the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence and the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice. Silver holds a doctorate and a master of arts from the University of London.

 

"I am thrilled to join Hancock Shaker Village at such an exciting time. Like the Gardner, the village is a work of art in its entirety with a deep commitment to serving its community and resulted from the vision of a woman ahead of her time," said Silver. "The Shakers left a uniquely American legacy of equity and sustainability that resonates profoundly today and inspires every aspect of the village's dynamic public program. I look forward to working with the staff, to building on these incredible successes, and to shaping a vibrant future together."

 

Trainer Thompson, will remain in the position through Sept. 16.