After a nationwide search for a new director and CEO of the San José Museum of Art, the museum’s board of trustees has named Jeremiah Matthew Davis as Sayre Batton’s successor.
San José Museum of Art Announces New Executive Director
Jeremiah Matthew Davis comes to the San José Museum of Art from Oklahoma Contemporary. (Ann Sherman)
Davis comes to San José from Oklahoma Contemporary, a non-collecting museum with a focus on living artists, located in Oklahoma City. He has worked there for nearly nine years as artistic director, then director, and most recently as director emeritus. He will start at the SJMA on Oct. 1, 2025.
“We are especially excited about Jeremiah’s passion for education and community engagement,” SJMA Board Co-President Tammy Kiely stated in today’s announcement. “At Oklahoma Contemporary, he not only expanded the museum’s education initiatives but also launched interdisciplinary partnerships that introduced innovative programming to its audiences. We are delighted to collaborate with him at the San José Museum of Art.”
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Davis steps into the role during a challenging time for arts funding in the United States. The Trump administration has eliminated or dramatically reduced much of the federal funding that museums like the SJMA once relied upon.
This year, the SJMA was one of many nonprofits hit by grant cancellations from not just one, but three sources: the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities and Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Oklahoma Contemporary grew significantly while Davis was working there; the center moved to a new downtown campus in 2020 and grew its attendance from 10,000 to 80,000 visitors a year. As director and CEO of the SJMA, he will be tasked with advancing the museum’s 2023–2027 strategic plan, growing its operating capacity and solidifying its role as a cultural center in the region.
“In this new role, I look forward to collaborating with the diverse communities of San José and Silicon Valley to celebrate the region’s unique histories,” Davis stated in today’s announcement, “and to imagine and implement new ways of engaging with art, culture, and ideas together.”
The first exhibition to open under Davis’ leadership will be the upcoming ektor garcia: loose ends, a craft-based sculptural installation from the Northern California-born artist, opening Oct. 17, 2025.
