Philadelphia Art Museum fires CEO Sasha Suda one month after its name change

Sasha Suda, director and CEO of the Philadelphia Art Museum, was fired Tuesday with two years remaining on her five-year contract. 

The museum did not give the cause for Suda’s termination, but it came a month after the museum unveiled a new name and logo amid other changes aimed at boosting attendance, memberships and revenue. The final version of that rebranding effort, overseen by Suda, reportedly was never approved by the museum’s board of trustees.

MORE: Penn data breach included info about Joe Biden and ex-university president Liz Magill, hackers claim

“As of today, director and CEO Sasha Suda is no longer with the Philadelphia Art Museum,” the museum said in an emailed statement. “As this is an internal matter, we are limited in what we can say. The Board of Trustees is focused on fulfilling the museum’s mission as we enter our 150th year. We are not providing further comment at this time.” 

Louis Marchesano, the museum’s deputy director of curatorial affairs and conservation, will handle daily operations until an interim director is named.

Philly Mag, which broke the news of Suda’s firing, reported that Suda was ousted for “cause” Tuesday morning by the board of trustees after an emergency board meeting. She was notified via email.

Suda’s termination came hours after the Inquirer published a story that revealed two trustees’ misgivings about the way the rebranding was handled.

Suda, who joined the museum in 2022 from Ontario, Canada, sought a more inclusive vision for the city’s cultural cornerstone, including its rebrand, which included changing its name from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the Philadelphia Art Museum. 

“We’ve come to learn that over 80% of the people living in Philadelphia and this region already call us that,” Suda said last month. “Even our friends abroad, when they talk about coming to see this collection, they call it the Philadelphia Art Museum.”

The name change and its acronym, PhAM, are intended to increase the legibility and accessibility of the museum ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary next year, but the museum also has been the butt of jokes online, with people calling it PhArt. 

The rebrand also is aimed at fostering new ties with community groups, including the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club – the North Philly organization that preserves the culture of urban horse riding. The museum also is opening at least half of its lower level to students on a regular basis for hands-on learning opportunities and expanding its musical programming. 

“We are aiming to open our doors so wide that maybe we won’t even need them eventually,” Suda said at the time. “Because we’re really here to represent the communities that we exist to serve.” 

Suda formally started at the museum on Sept. 21, 2022. At the time, the museum was mired in a labor dispute with its newly-unionized staffers. The workers reached a three-year contract — their first collective bargaining agreement with the museum — less than a month into Suda’s tenure. The deal ended a 19-day strike.