Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology

Patricia Duany joined the Haffenreffer Museum's team in September 2019 as a Collection Assistant for the Transforming the Haffenreffer Mellon Grant Project. She has nearly 10 years of experience in registration and collection management in art museums, and has worked on record management projects, exhibition management, and relocating a collection to off-site storage. She is dedicated to providing a high level of care for collections, while upholding museum standards and incorporating sustainable practices. 

After focusing primarily on contemporary art, Patricia is excited for the opportunity to work with the diverse material cultures represented in the Haffenreffer’s collection. Over the past few months, she has already worked with Peruvian archeological textiles, Chinese Hill Tribe textiles, African currencies, and Native American beadwork. She is committed to inventorying and relocating the collection, while participating in the museum’s evolution and growth at a new location. 

Patricia holds a BA in Art History and Modern Languages from the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan, where she was born and raised. She also holds an MA in Museum Studies from NYU, where she focused on researching best-practice methods for documenting site-specific installations in museum collections. She has worked at institutions such as the Pérez Art Museum Miami and the Museum of Art + Design at MDC in Miami; and the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, the New York Public Library and El Museo del Barrio in New York.