Margot Nishimura is an art historian with more than two decades of experience in teaching, curatorial practice and administration in museums, libraries and special collections. An expert in the fields of medieval, Renaissance and American art, architecture, decorative arts and the history of the book, she also has a demonstrated record of directing cross-disciplinary collaborations, fundraising and grants.

As dean of libraries, Nishimura provides leadership and oversight for The Fleet Library at RISD, the Nature Lab, the Center for Arts & Language, and Campus Exhibitions. Prior to this role she served as director of museums at the Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF) starting in June 2017, having begun there in 2014 as deputy director for collections, programming and public engagement. At NRF she secured new grant funding, increased exhibitions and public programming and engaged in long-term planning with community partners. Before joining NRF, she was deputy director and librarian at Brown University’s John Carter Brown Library, overseeing academic programs and stewarding the growth of the library’s prestigious international fellowship competition.

At RISD Nishimura previously served as a lecturer in the Department of Art History (now the Theory and History of Art and Design department) and, from 2010–11, as director of academic planning and assessment in the Office of Academic Affairs. She has also worked at several other academic and arts institutions, including Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, the Getty Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.