Karen Wong was the Deputy Director of the New Museum, a mid-size museum renowned for its entrepreneurial platforms and mission: new art and new ideas. She co-founded the initiatives IDEAS CITY (2010), a residency and conference exploring the future of cities with the belief that art and culture are essential to our metropolises, and NEW INC (2014), the first museum-led incubator for art, technology and design. Both initiatives are models for the intersection of cultural and civic engagement. She lectures often on museum innovation and emergent culture. Recent talks include keynotes at museum conferences (Toronto, Istanbul, Copenhagen, Athens, Paris) and panels (SXSW, Frieze Art Fair, Kickstarter, Sotheby’s, A/D/O). She recently developed a design talk series for Google NYC.
In September 2021, Karen embarked on a new adventure to build a scaleable online marketplace for underrepresented artists across the nation — GBA/Guilty By Association where she is Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer.