Member Spotlight: Meet New Chair Charlotte Zawel

Charlotte Zawel has been a member of the Museum Council since 2012 and a member of the Steering Committee for five years. She co-chaired the Summer Party in 2016 and 2019. Charlotte runs her own residential interior design firm and lives in Wellesley with her husband, Marc, and their two young children. When she’s not picking out wallpaper for clients or running after her children, she loves travel, art (of course), and spending time with friends and family.

What initially inspired you to join the Museum Council?

I am originally from the Boston area and frequently visited the MFA growing up. When I began my “adult” life in Boston, my husband and I were looking for more ways to get involved in the local arts community—the Museum Council was a perfect fit.

What has been one of your favorite experiences at the MFA?

One of my favorite experiences at the MFA is always the connoisseurship seminar and dinner. A huge benefit of the Council is getting to know the curators and diving deeper into the MFA’s collection, which is exactly what this event is for. A favorite memory of the event was when Thomas Michie, Russell B. and Andrée Beauchamp Stearns Senior Curator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture, Art of Europe, passed around an 18th-century Fabergé gold snuff box—how many people can say they have held one of those?

What have you enjoyed most about being a member of the Steering Committee?

Being able to incorporate members’ feedback and ideas into the Museum Council’s yearly programming. The committee also offers opportunities to learn more about the inner workings of the MFA and to get to know curators and MFA staff. It’s an amazing way to learn how the MFA’s annual fund is spent and get an advance peek at the MFA’s exhibition schedule and future events.

What are some initiatives you are looking forward to working on in the next two years?

The next few years are a critical time to support the arts. As chair of the Museum Council I’m looking forward to working with our members to garner feedback on events through a Council-wide survey and welcoming everyone back to the Museum in person when it is safe to do so.