Emily Schuchardt Navratil brings deep knowledge of the Vilcek Foundation art collection to her position as curator. She is charged with the curation and research of the Vilcek Foundation’s art collections and planning and supporting scholarly publications and exhibitions. Dr. Navratil has curated the exhibitions Marsden Hartley: Adventurer in the Arts, Ralston Crawford: Air + Space + War, The Synchromists, Oscar Bluemner’s Sonnet Series, Stuart Davis in Black & White, Ralston Crawford: Torn Signs, and With Color.

In addition to these exhibitions, Dr. Navratil works with other institutions to bring the foundation’s collections and exhibitions to global audiences, both through loans and through the curation and development of larger, collection-focused exhibitions. These partnerships include Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery developed with the Indian Arts Research Center at The School for Advanced Research, which premiered at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe in 2022, and opened at the Vilcek Foundation and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2023.

Dr. Navratil earned her Ph.D. in art history from the Graduate Center, City University of New York; her dissertation examined exhibitions of Native American Art in New York between the World Wars and the impact that had on Euro-American interior design and women’s fashion. She has worked for major institutions, notably the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Montclair Art Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art. Dr. Navratil has worked with the Vilcek Collection since 2009, previously serving as associate curator, assistant curator, and curatorial assistant.