This spring we're thrilled to introduce three Museum Council members to you:

Zongqi Xia

Zongqi Xia, an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, is a great example of cultured individuals that make up our Museum Council membership. Zongqi, a member for the last three years, lives and works in the neighborhood which allows him to take regular detours through the Museum on his way home after a long day. The MFA isn’t just a place to unwind for him but also a place to seek creative inspiration from art.

A big fan of the MFA’s 2011 Dale Chihuly exhibit, he looks forward to the annual Art in Bloom event where the Museum transforms into an ephemeral arboretum of floral design and whimsical ingenuity. “This annual event is such a great way to find hidden treasures of the MFA and a communal opportunity to appreciate beauty in art and design,” says Zongqi.

Tsugumi Maki Joiner

Have you ever wondered who oversees the construction or art installation of all of the newly renovated collections galleries? If so, you have Tsugumi Maki Joiner to thank. She is the Head of Gallery Planning at the MFA and also a long-time member of the Museum Council. In her 16 year tenure with the MFA, she has managed such game changing projects such as the transformational building expansion and related establishment of the very popular Art of the Americas wing, as well as the 2011 renovation of the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art.

An alumnus of Tufts University / School of the Museum of Fine Arts, she is currently focused on the MFA’s gallery renovations projects. Of the 141 galleries on view, she has been in charge of 96 of the gallery renewals that have taken place since 2010! Tsugumi's role is to continue to expanding the amount of square feet for the display of art and assist in furthering the Museum’s efforts to diversify the exhibits it presents and offers.

Deborah Glasser

Deborah Glasser is a member of the Museum Council Steering Committee and while by day she works in the biotech industry, outside of work she is a passionate collector of African Art.

A finance and marketing graduate of The University of Chicago, Deb became interested in African Art while visiting the Continent over a decade ago. Working with a few dealers and auctions she slowly began to build her collection. After moving to Boston and joining the MFA's Friends of African and Oceanic art group, she began the process of building true connoisseurship. Learning from curators and other local collectors she continues to build a collection of masks and statues from Western and Central Africa.

Initially struck by the aesthetic of the art she now collects, she has assembled a library to understand the ethnographic details as well. In search of new additions to her collections she travels annually to art shows in the US and Europe and eagerly anticipates the May and November auction cycles. While her collection has expanded over the years, so has Deb's participation at the MFA; prior to her current role as a Council Steering Committee member, she joined the Council early last year as a Fellow and has was struck by how "welcoming and approachable" everyone was to her. She has also recently joined the MFA's Visiting Committee for the Arts of Asia, Africa and Oceania.

When you see them at the next Museum Council event be sure to say hello!

And, if you know of other Museum Council members who might like to be featured just let us know by dropping us a line at: [email protected]