Nine Questions with Concetta Duncan, Head of Communications of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
By Ranata Reeder, Co-Chair Emerging Leaders Awards, WWPR
In this candid Q&A style blog, Concetta Duncan of the National Portrait Gallery shares the importance of the arts and career advice for local women in public relations looking to grow their careers.
What's a typical day like in your life as the Head of Communications and Marketing at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery?
No two days are alike at the National Portrait Gallery. Each day I start with a sense of our immediate deadlines, and members of my team and I discuss what museum exhibitions or programs need proactive attention. My time is divided between internal and external relationships, so I might bounce between a meeting with our curators or our fundraising team, to a phone call with a New York Times writer or a film shoot in the galleries for a broadcast segment like CBS Sunday Morning.
When there is a moment for strategic work, I’m often developing message points for an upcoming exhibition, assessing analytics for our newsletter or ad buys, or figuring out if there is a way where we can make a sitter’s contribution to history accessible in a snapshot on social.
Why are the arts so important? Additionally, can you share why free access to art is important, even now?
Access to the arts is incredibly important. One of the privileges of working for the Smithsonian is that I am part of a larger organization that is dedicated to providing free access to the arts, history, culture and science to so many Americans and international visitors. I think art is a really valuable piece of this vision. Art has the power to be the mediator between emotion and intellect. It can alleviate misunderstandings and provide clarity in some of our most important moments as a society and in our individual lives.
Can you share a campaign you ran at the National Portrait Gallery that makes you particularly proud?
My first few months at the National Portrait Gallery were centered around diving headfirst into developing a strategy for the unveiling of the museum’s commissioned portraits of President Barack Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama. I quickly had to jump into liaising with media to hold their stories until the opportune time, figuring out presidential protocol, building relationships with new staff, and establishing a rapport with the artists’ studios. The interest in those two portraits was phenomenal, and on the day they were unveiled, it truly felt like we were experiencing history (and art history) in the making. This campaign gave me an opportunity to quickly develop relationships with so many of my colleagues across the Smithsonian. At the same time, I was able to reach outward and communicate with diverse audiences about the importance of portraiture and the potential of images in conveying the history of individuals and the course of this nation.
What was your first job in public relations, communications, or marketing?
My first job out of college was managing press and marketing for the American Dance Festival based in Durham, North Carolina. It was an incredible opportunity to run a press office right out of school, and I will be forever grateful that they took a chance on me the way they did. That position allowed me to meet some of the most important choreographers working in modern dance while honing the professional experience I needed to later break into the international art world in New York.
When working your first job, could you envision yourself doing what you're doing now?
Arts and culture are what drive me. I think I always knew I would end up working in the cultural sphere in some capacity. When I started in this industry, I never thought I would have the opportunity to travel and work on projects such as exhibitions at the Venice Biennale, art fairs in London, Switzerland and Hong Kong, the expansion of an arts and culture district in the U.A.E., and an artist’s installation at the Rio Olympics. It has been a wild ride! I have been so fortunate to work with incredible artists as well as very smart and savvy directors whose leadership styles I admire. While many of these projects required intense commitment, they allowed me to also see different parts of the world and understand the international landscape in which U.S. institutions such as the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery sit. Today, most of my work is focused on U.S. audiences, but I have also had the opportunity to help support cross-cultural exchange as a member of Meridian International’s Cultural Diplomacy Leadership Council. They are a fantastic organization doing incredible things to support diplomacy in different sectors. In many ways, what started as a career has really ended up informing me quite a bit as a person.
What advice do you have for women in the DC area in public relations, communications, or marketing looking to grow their careers?
Communications continues to evolve, from the growth of social media to the contraction of the media landscape. It’s important to stay creative and to take stock in assessing whether or not current tactics are still effective. I also think everyone working in communications should experience both in-house and agency roles. There is value in flexing your strategic thinking in both of these settings.
What's the best piece of career advice you have received?
Do it because you think you will enjoy it.
Can you share a quote or saying that is meaningful to you that can be shared with the WWPR membership?
“Leadership is like the tip of a spear… there is not a lot of room up there.”
I remember hearing this as part of a speech made by art collector Marguerite Hoffman at an awards ceremony for ArtTable, which is an organization for women in the arts, for which I previously served as an executive committee member. I think this points to the fierceness often needed to make a difference in the world and how it can also be lonely at the top. But that isolation at times is a discomfort that is worthwhile if you’re doing the right thing and standing up for what you believe in.
Is there anything happening at the National Portrait Gallery that you are excited to share?
I am in the early stages of working on two exhibitions by stellar contemporary artists. Next fall the Portrait Gallery will present a solo exhibition of work by Amy Sherald, whom I had the pleasure of working with when the museum unveiled her commissioned portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama. I am also strategizing a communications rollout for a large-scale exhibition by Wendy Red Star, which will open in March 2026 to coincide with the nation’s semiquincentennial.
Any final thoughts?
Communications allows you to be involved in all facets of an institution and helps you bring the work of content creators to light across different audiences. But I would add that in order to excel in communications, you also have to be strategic, creative, compelling and accurate, and that in itself is its own art form.
About Concetta Duncan
Concetta Duncan specializes in external affairs for cultural institutions and creative brands. She is currently Head of Communications and Marketing at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery where she oversees the museum's media relations, marketing, social media, brand engagement and web development. She has directed impactful and record-setting campaigns including the Portrait Gallery’s 50th anniversary, the unveiling and seven-city tour of the Obama Portraits, and the museum’s red carpet Portrait of a Nation Gala. She has coordinated with stakeholders including former Presidents and First Ladies, heads of state, celebrities, and thought leaders. She has served on pan-institutional branding committees for the Smithsonian’s American Women's History Initiative and U.S. semiquincentennial celebrations as well as Destination DC’s America250 marketing committee. Prior to Washington, Concetta managed media relations for Pace Gallery and later played an integral role in developing the New York office of a global communications agency as a member of its U.S. board of directors. Throughout her career she has directed communications campaigns and events for numerous arts and culture organizations across the U.S., Europe, the U.A.E., Brazil and Hong Kong. Concetta has served as a board member of STABLE Arts, ArtTable’s Executive Committee and PERFORMA Biennial’s Advisory Council. She is currently a member of Meridian International’s Cultural Diplomacy Leadership Council. She has a BA from Connecticut College and wrote her thesis on movement and oppression in apartheid South Africa.
