Kate Quinn is no longer the executive director of the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia. The institution’s leadership confirmed to WHYY this week that Quinn’s final day was April 7.
In 2022, Quinn became the leader of the Mutter, which features historic medical instruments, anatomical models, and other biological specimens. Its prior tagline was “disturbingly informative”.
But Quinn’s tenure was controversial after she asked staff to take down all of the museum’s online exhibits and YouTube videos as part of a review of its entire collection in June 2023. During that time, many US museums were also reconsidering prior policies on human remains in their collections after a ProPublica investigation found an estimated 100,000 remains of Indigenous people across various institutions three decades after a federal law was passed requiring their return.
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For some loyal fans of the Mütter Museum, the institution was losing its core identity under Quinn’s leadership, while others saw the move as part of a necessary evolution towards better ethics about its curatorial and collection practices.
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, which runs the museum, told WHYY they are confident in science historians Erin McLeary and Sara Ray, who will take over Quinn’s duties. McLeary is the museum’s senior director of collections and research; Ray is the senior director of interpretation and engagement.
“Both Erin and Sara have great ideas as to how we can continue to provide the context of education that many of these exhibits really do require,” Dr. Larry Kaiser, a thoracic surgeon who took over as the college’s CEO earlier this year, told WHYY. “The museum is a true treasure, and we want to maintain the excellence of the museum that has led thousands and thousands of people to come and visit.”