SLOMA hires a new assistant director 

The San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA) has found a new assistant director in Rebecca Leduc, who recently replaced longtime SLOMA assistant director Muara Johnston.

Leduc, 32, grew up immersed in Boston’s artistic and cultural scene. She graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in French literature, and says her interest in the arts was deepened by a study abroad at the Sorbonne, where she took courses in art history. She went on to work for five years as film operations manager at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, helping organize the museum’s many film festivals and screening series.

Leduc’s move to the Central Coast can perhaps be credited to her husband, Bastien, a French vintner Leduc met while WWOOFing (that is, volunteering on organic farms in exchange for food and accommodations, through a network of organizations known as Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) on his family’s vineyard in southwestern France. After moving to Northern California, the couple relocated to SLO County in May of last year, when the couple agreed to manage a vineyard owned by family friends on the west side of Paso Robles. When not growing grapes, Leduc said, she enjoys hiking, cooking, writing, and, these days, getting to know the local artistic community.

“It’s a vibrant one,” she said. “I feel like I have a lot to learn.”

As SLOMA’s assistant director, Leduc’s duties include everything from marketing and PR to managing the museum’s film series and adult art classes.

“Because it’s a small museum, it’s a position that wears many hats,” she explained.

Having worked for a much larger institution, Leduc sees the local museum’s size as an advantage: It’s professional, but not impersonal, she noted, exhibiting work by locals as well as renowned California artists.

“I think the museum does a good job of showcasing that range,” Leduc added. “It’s small, it’s accessible to a wide variety of talents.”

*This article was changed on Jan. 23 to clarify who owns the vineyard that the Leducs manage.