Ned Rifkin, director of the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, has resigned in order to "commit full time to scholarly work and teaching" at the University of Texas. “Currently, I have been leading a junior seminar in the Plan II Program here at UT Austin and I had forgotten how much I love to work closely with students on developing their learning skills," Rifkin said in a statement.

Rifkin joined the Blanton just two years ago after serving as undersecretary for art at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

From 2000-2002, he served as director of the Menil Collection during a turbulent period following founder Dominique de Menil's death in 1997. His tenure was marked by frequent clashes over the museum's direction and whether he was departing from de Menil's vision.

Hired also as a tenured professor of art and art history when he became Blanton Museum director in 2009, Rifkin is teaching his first class since he arrived on the UT campus. That course "rekindled his passion for teaching," Blanton spokesperson Kathleen Brady Stimpert said.

Rifkin's resignation, which was turned in last week, takes effect May 31.

UT moved swiftly to name his successor. Executive Vice President and Provost Steven Leslie appointed Simone Wicha, the Blanton's current deputy director for external affairs and operations. Wicha joined the Blanton in 2006 as director of development and will assume the role of director on June 1.

“The invitation to serve as the fifth director of the Blanton Museum of Art is a great honor,” Wicha said in a press release. “The Blanton’s notable collection, original programs and research, talented staff and eminence –- as a university museum and a cultural force in Austin –- make my new role an exciting challenge. I look forward to building on the nearly 50-year legacy of excellence and innovation at the museum.”

The Blanton Museum has seen steady membership growth over the past few years and is "on par with its peers," according to Stimpert. When the new Blanton Museum opened in 2006 its membership rose to 10,000 member households. This year she says they have 6,000, a number that has not changed much recently.

Wicha is credited for raising membership at the Blanton and for raising significant amounts of money. She "led the successful completion of a $83.5 million building campaign and the implementation of an annual giving program that increased fund raising to $2 million per year," according to the press release.

Previously Wicha served as director of development for the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum in Long Island City, Queens, and director of annual giving for the Juilliard School in New York City.

Blanton's departure is the latest in a string of changes at Texas art museums. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has embarked on a search to replace deceased director Peter Marzio, and Dallas Museum of Art director Bonnie Pitman will step down from her position in May. The San Antonio contemporary art enclave Artpace is also searching to replace former executive director Matthew Drutt, the onetime chief curator at the Menil Collection.