The Buffalo AKG Art Museum has announced that Jillian Jones, the museum’s Director of Advancement since 2015, has been appointed Deputy Director after an extensive hiring process involving members of the staff and Board of Directors. The appointment, which begins May 8, comes after the completion of the $230 million capital campaign to fund the creation of the Buffalo AKG, the largest capital campaign for a cultural institution in the history of Western New York. 

“I could not be happier to embark upon the next chapter in the history of the Buffalo AKG with Jillian as our Deputy Director,” said Janne Sirén, Peggy Pierce Elfvin Director. “She is a kind, compassionate, and trusted leader who has played a pivotal role in the recent history of the museum. Given the remarkable feats she has achieved as Director of Advancement—including the completion of our unprecedentedly large capital campaign—I cannot wait to see what new heights we will reach together in the years to come.” 

Since joining the Buffalo AKG as Director of Advancement in 2015, Jones has overseen a radical increase in funding for the museum’s operations and the most substantial campus expansion and development project in the museum’s 161-year history. As a member of the Leadership Team, Jones has provided strategic guidance and management for a wide array of operations, initiatives, and special projects, including the publication of the museum’s ten-year Strategic Plan; the development of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Town Square; the ideation and creation of Creative Commons, an innovative new space within the museum’s Seymour H. Knox Building that is supported by the first-ever partnership between the LEGO Foundation and a fine art museum; and the development and launch of Cornelia, the museum’s reinvented restaurant.

“The Buffalo AKG is first and foremost about people: those who make, interpret, and care for the art of our time, and those who connect to new ideas and to each other through their experiences with the museum and its collection, bringing meaning to the artwork,” said Jones. “There is a place for everyone here at the Buffalo AKG, and I am honored by the opportunity to help set the table for each future visitor and build our community’s capacity for empathy, friendship, and understanding.”

In her new role as Deputy Director, Jones will embrace a broad range of leadership responsibilities within the Buffalo AKG; represent the museum locally, nationally, and globally; and ensure the financially viable and sustainable delivery of the museum’s mission, with a focus on the museum’s commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access.

Jones previously worked for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia, leading a team of fundraisers dedicated to building philanthropic relationships with individuals. Prior to that, she began her career at the George Washington University School of Business developing alumni connections for the benefit of graduate student support and programs.

Jones received her Master of Arts in Museum Studies with a concentration in Public Administration from George Washington University. In 2021, Jones was named one of Buffalo Business First’s 40 Under 40. She has received a Certificate in Fundraising Management from the Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy and is a member of the Art Museum Development Association, the Western New York Planned Giving Consortium, and the Western New York Women’s Foundation.

About the Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Founded in 1862, the Buffalo AKG Art Museum (formerly the Albright-Knox Art Gallery) is the sixth-oldest public art institution in the United States. For 160 years, the Buffalo AKG has collected, conserved, and exhibited the art of its time, often working directly with living artists. This tradition has given rise to one of the world’s most extraordinary collections of modern and contemporary art.

In June 2023, following the completion of the most significant campus development and expansion project in its history, the Buffalo AKG will open to the public for the first time. The project is funded by a $230 million capital campaign, the largest such campaign for a cultural institution in the history of Western New York, including $195 million raised for construction and $35 million in additional operating endowment funds.

###