From the Whitney to Westchester: Laura Phipps to Lead Expanding Gochman Family Collection

KATONAH, NY — The Gochman Family Collection (GFC), a prominent private lending collection specializing in Indigenous and American art, has appointed seasoned curator Laura Phipps as its first director. The move comes as the organization prepares for its most significant expansion yet: the opening of a dedicated 10,000-square-foot exhibition space in Westchester County.

Phipps, who spent over 15 years at the Whitney Museum of American Art, officially took the helm on March 10, 2026. Her appointment signals a strategic shift for the GFC as it evolves from a private lending entity into a public-facing cultural institution.

Laura Phipps is the new director of the Gochman Family Collection, a New York-based private collection dedicated mostly, though not exclusively, to contemporary Indigenous art. She fills a role most recently held by Zach Feuer, who founded Forge Project with Becky Gochman in… pic.twitter.com/puEz52o74Y

— ARTnews (@artnews) March 10, 2026

A New Hub for Indigenous Art

The centerpiece of Phipps’s new tenure is the upcoming launch of a permanent venue in Katonah, New York. Scheduled to open in Autumn 2026, the facility aims to bridge the gap between New York City’s elite art circles and the more remote Indigenous communities the collection supports.

Key features of the new expansion include:

• Transit Accessibility: Located near a Metro-North station to encourage visitors from Manhattan.

• Scale: A 900-square-meter (10,000-square-foot) space designed for large-scale installations.

• Community Focus: A platform for living artists to realize visions that traditional institutional rigidities often stifle.

Curatorial Pedigree

Phipps brings a wealth of experience in high-stakes curating. At the Whitney, she was instrumental in organizing the landmark 2023 retrospective Memory Map for the late Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, the most comprehensive survey of the artist’s work to date. She also co-chaired the Whitney’s Indigenous Art, Artists, and Audiences Working Group, fostering critical institutional ties with Native communities.

“What drew me to the role was the chance to focus on the parts of curatorial work that excite me most, supporting living artists and helping them realize their visions,” Phipps said in a statement.

Breaking the “Ethnographic” Mold

Working alongside Tlingit co-curator and creative director Rachel Martin, Phipps intends to steer the collection away from the dry, ethnographic framing often associated with Native American art. Instead, the GFC focuses on contemporary, “anti-colonial” works that emphasize humor, material experimentation, and modern storytelling.

Founded in 2021 by philanthropist Becky Gochman and former gallery owner Zach Feuer, the collection now boasts over 750 artworks. With Phipps at the lead, the GFC is positioned to become a “living, responsive ecosystem” for American art history.