Honoring Jack Rasmussen 

Celebrating the Retirement of the Founding Director and Curator of AU Museum 

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Rasmussen, CAS/MFA ’75, MA ’83, PhD ’94, AU museum’s Director and Curator since 2005, will step down effective December 31, 2026. Over nearly two decades at the helm, Jack has been the defining force behind the AU Museum’s growth into one of Washington’s most vital cultural institutions. 

Rasmussen was honored in 2023 as the inaugural C. Nicholas Keating and Carleen B. Keating Director. This endowed position was made possible by alumna, artist, collector, and friend Carleen Keating in memory of her late husband, also an alumnus, and helps ensure strong artistic leadership at the museum for generations to come. 

Some of Rasmussen's remarkable accomplishments include: 

  • Growing the AU Museum into a dynamic public institution with a collection of more than 16,000 works;  
  • Partnering with alumna and artist Carolyn Small Alper to establish the endowed Alper Initiative for Washington Art at the AU Museum, a platform dedicated to showcasing and advancing artists from the region; 
  • Overseeing the Corcoran Gallery of Art collection reallocation of 9,000 significant works valued at over $34 million to the AU Museum;   
  • Receiving American University’s Neil Kerwin Alumni Achievement Award in 2018, a prestigious honor recognizing graduates who demonstrate excellence and a commitment to making a meaningful difference; and, 
  • Leading the acquisition and relocation of Elyn Zimmerman’s monumental granite installation, Marabar, from the National Geographic Society to American University, which has since been reimagined and renamed Sudama by the artist. 

Prior to his work at the Museum, Rasmussen served as a Planned Giving Officer from 1983-1987, securing significant philanthropic gifts, including the naming gift for the Helen Palmer Kettler Lounge in Bender Arena and a $1.7 million commitment that ultimately led to the Charles and Helen Palmer Kettler Galleries in the AU Museum when the Katzen Arts Center opened in 2005.  

The AU Museum is immeasurably richer for Rasmussen’s more than 20 years of visionary leadership and passionate advocacy. American University is grateful for his extraordinary service in transforming the AU Museum into a nationally recognized institution of artistic excellence. 

Those who wish to celebrate Jack Rasmussen’s remarkable legacy are invited to make a gift in his honor to support the AU Museum’s innovative role as a steward, storyteller, and educator, connecting audiences with transformative art and ideas. 

Please contact the Advancement Office for questions about ways to give, or AU Museum staff for information about exhibits. Thank you for joining AU in honoring Jack Rasmussen's many contributions. 

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