Board Member; Director Emerita, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts
Patsy Phillips is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. In 2026, she announced her retirement after 30 years of elevating contemporary Indigenous arts through three major organizations: Atlatl (a national service organization for Native arts) and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, including 18 years as the Director of the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA). Under Phillips’ guidance, MoCNA became a leader in shifting the national narrative and in moving the contemporary Indigenous arts dialogue from the past to the present. Phillips earned a BA in Anthropology from Southern Methodist University, a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies from Harvard University, an MA in Writing from Johns Hopkins University, and was granted an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from the Institute of American Indian Arts. In 2025, she was named to the ForbesWomen 50 Over 50 for making powerful contributions through initiatives and leadership and in 2026 elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Phillips will remain active in the museum field through continued service on the board of directors of the American Alliance of Museums, the International Council of Museums-US, and ATALM. She will teach in IAIA’s Museum Studies department in the future and will continue to pave the way as others have done for her, like her friend and advisor, Wilma Mankiller, Chief of the Cherokees, said, “Every step I take forward is on a path paved by strong Indian women before me.”