Jane Winchell

Jane Winchell is the Sarah Fraser Robbins director of the Dotty Brown Art & Nature Center, and Curator Natural History at the Peabody Essex Museum, in Salem, Mass.

She been the director of PEM’s Dotty Brown Art & Nature Center since its founding in 2003. Winchell started at PEM as curator of the Natural History collection and led development of the museum’s original Art & Nature Center, as well as the revamped and expanded Center that opened in 2013.

Winchell has curated more than 15 interactive, interdisciplinary, intergenerational shows for PEM, including “XYZT: A Journey in 4 Dimensions” (by Adrien M + Claire B),” “Ripple Effect: The Art of H2O”, “Branching Out: Trees as Art,” and “Wild Designs,” an exhibition that explored bio-inspired art, design and architecture. Her most recent work included “Where the Questions Live: An Exploration of Humans in Nature” a site-specific installation by artist Wes Sam-Bruce, featuring an original score by Ruth Mendelson. Winchell led development of PEM’s redesigned Art & Nature Center Space: The Pod, which includes installations, art and creative expression to bring us closer to nature.

She co-curated “The Great Animal Orchestra: Bernie Krause and United Visual Artists,” which opened November 20, 2021, and “Down to the Bone: Edward Koren and Stephen Gorman,” opening March 12, 2022. She is currently curating “Climate Action: Inspiring Change,” opening April 16, 2022 and “Konstantin Dimopoulos: The Blue Trees,” opening April 20, 2022.

She has also been co-leading PEM’s new Climate + Environment Initiative, which includes a Staff Ideators team for helping PEM become more sustainable and climate forward. Winchell holds a B.A. in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic, and two graduate degrees: an M.S. in Science Communication and an M.A. in Biology, both from Boston University.

MuseumNext Green Museums Summit
Monday, 28th March 2022

It Starts with Us: Inspiring Creative Action
Find out about the Peabody Essex Museum’s new multi-pronged Climate + Environment Initiative that features a series of diverse exhibitions, related digital and on-site programming, and an internal cross-departmental team of staff “Ideators”. The goal? To make PEM a hub for climate engagement and creative environmental solutions, and to forward the museum’s progress towards becoming a greener organization and community member.

Full Schedule here