Natasha EGAN

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Executive Director of Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago

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Since 2011, Natasha Egan has served as the Executive Director of the Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP) at Columbia College Chicago, where she previously held the role of Associate Director and Curator since 2000. Under her leadership, MoCP has expanded its role as a leading institution dedicated to contemporary photography, presenting dynamic exhibitions, fostering critical dialogue, and advancing the museum’s global reputation.

Egan has organized over fifty exhibitions with a strong emphasis on contemporary Asian art and artists engaging with pressing societal issues, such as the environment, war, human rights, and economic structures. Her curatorial practice explores photography as a powerful medium for storytelling, activism, and social commentary. She has curated internationally, serving as a guest curator for the 2010 FotoFest Biennial in Houston, the United States Pavilion curator for the 2016 Photo Dubai Exhibition, and a guest curator for the 2019 Lianzhou Photography Biennial in China.

In addition to her curatorial work, Egan is an accomplished writer, having contributed essays to numerous publications, including Beate Gütschow LS / S (Aperture), Michael Wolf: The Transparent City (Aperture), Placing Memory: A Photographic Exploration of Japanese American Internment with photographs by Todd Stewart (University of Oklahoma Press), Black Maps: American Landscapes and the Apocalyptic Sublime with photographs by David Maisel (Steidl), and Taxonomy of Landscape with photographs by Victoria Sambunaris (Radius).

Beyond her museum leadership, Egan has been deeply involved in arts education. For over a decade, she taught in the Photography and Humanities departments at Columbia College Chicago, mentoring emerging artists and scholars. She holds a BA in Asian Studies from the University of Puget Sound and both an MA in Museum Studies and an MFA in Fine Art Photography from Columbia College Chicago. Through her curatorial vision and dedication to contemporary photography, she continues to shape the field and expand the role of photography in cultural discourse.