SFMOMA Announces Two Key Technology-Focused Appointments

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (September 2, 2026)—The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) today announced two key appointments to support its growing commitment to technology, innovative creative practices and meeting the changing needs of today’s audiences.

Harry C. H. Choi has been appointed Associate Curator and Head of the newly reimagined department of Media, Technology, and Culture (MTC). MTC builds on the legacy of SFMOMA’s department of Media Arts, which when established in 1987 was among the first in the United States to deeply explore how artists have used various technologies and technological processes, with an emphasis on video and time-based work since the 1960s. In that same spirit of innovation, MTC will embrace an even fuller spectrum of artists, designers and thinkers working at the intersections of contemporary art, culture, media and emerging technologies. Additionally, the museum has appointed Koven Smith as Director of Digital Experience, a leadership role that focuses on creating compelling digital experiences across the many touchpoints of the visitor journey at SFMOMA. Choi and Smith will start their new positions at SFMOMA on September 28 and September 14, respectively.

“SFMOMA has always been a leader in innovation, recognizing early technology’s growing relevance to both groundbreaking artistic practice and the daily lives of the public we serve,” said Christopher Bedford, SFMOMA’s Helen and Charles Schwab Director. “With this evolution in our renowned media arts department and the appointment of these two critical roles, we are building on our institutional foundations and creating a path forward that positions technology within our broader visitor-centered vision. I’m thrilled to welcome Harry and Koven to our team and am excited by the possibilities that their ideas, experience and expertise will generate.”

Harry C. H. Choi

Harry C. H. Choi is an art historian, curator and writer whose research focuses on experimental film, video art and new media. His forthcoming exhibitions include Minor Feelings (2027) at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (co-curated with Christine Y. Kim). Previously, he served on the curatorial team of the 14th Gwangju Biennale and held curatorial fellowships at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York. An active art critic, he has regularly contributed to publications including ArtAsiaPacific, Artforum, Frieze and Texte zur Kunst. His writing has also appeared in exhibition catalogues published by Art Sonje Center, Van Abbemuseum, Julia Stoscheck Collection and Seoul Museum of Art, among many others. He has been a guest critic, lecturer and panelist at numerous institutions, including the Doha Fire Station, Hammer Museum, the University of Chicago and Korea National University of the Arts. His work has been supported by awards and fellowships from the Center for the Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art and Samsung Foundation. He received his B.A. from Harvard University and is completing his Ph.D. at Stanford University with a dissertation on the emergence of experimental film in South Korea.

As Associate Curator and Head of Media, Technology, and Culture at SFMOMA, Choi will work collaboratively with colleagues across the museum to shape programming on modern and contemporary art that actively engages with innovations in media and technology. This will include opportunities for exhibitions, commissions, acquisitions and publications. Through this position, under Choi’s leadership, SFMOMA will be able to lead critical dialogues about the role of media and technology in creative practices as well as broader social trends and happenings.

“I am thrilled to join SFMOMA at a pivotal moment when the Bay Area is rapidly emerging as a global epicenter of art and culture. It is a tremendous honor to build on the incredible legacy of the department and continue the museum’s commitment to acquiring and presenting the most significant works of film, video and new media of our time,” said Choi. “I look forward to working with colleagues across the museum to develop programs that examine previously unexplored histories of time-based art and shape urgent questions at the intersection of art and technology.”

Koven Smith

Across his three-decade career, Smith has developed a deep understanding of in-gallery interpretive technology, mobile applications, augmented reality (AR), web and collections platforms and

digital strategy. He has served as a strategist, technologist and program director for a wide range of cultural institutions, using technology to expand the possibilities of audience engagement. In addition to his own consulting practice, he most recently served as Senior Director of Arts at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, where he designed the foundation’s tech-forward arts funding strategy and directed more than $80 million in arts and technology grants. Previously, he held leadership roles at the Blanton Museum of Art, Denver Art Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, working with those institutions to implement new opportunities to connect with audiences through in-gallery digital experiences as well as those available through web and app platforms. He has held teaching positions at Johns Hopkins University and New York University and presented extensively on subjects relating to museums and technology. He holds a B.M. from Berklee College of Music.

As SFMOMA’s Director of Digital Experience, Smith will lead a multidisciplinary team and oversee the creative strategy and daily operations of the museum’s core digital channels, including in-gallery interfaces, mobile tools and emerging platforms that support meaningful storytelling and audience engagement. The role supports SFMOMA’s broader mandate to center visitor connection in all the museum’s activities, leveraging digital tools and approaches to address changing visitor expectations and drawing new and returning participation with the museum.

“SFMOMA has always been at the forefront of exploring what digital technology can mean for the visitor experience. At a real inflection point for how museums deploy and engage with technology, I couldn’t be more excited to help shape what comes next.”

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
151 Third Street
San Francisco, CA 94103

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States and a thriving cultural center for the Bay Area. Our remarkable collection of painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design and media arts is housed in a LEED Gold-certified building designed by the global architects Snøhetta and Mario Botta. In addition to our seven gallery floors, SFMOMA now offers over 45,000 square feet of free, art-filled public space open to all.

Visit sfmoma.org or call 415.357.4000 for more information.

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Image credits:

Harry Choi; photo by JaeAn Lee

Koven Smith; photo by Madelyn Burgess