Susan Barnett serves as the Margaret and Dick Scarlett Curator of Western American Art for the Whitney Western Art Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Her extensive museum career spans leadership, curatorial, and collections roles, as well as consulting in exhibition curation, collections stewardship, nonprofit board development, marketing, and strategic planning. Twenty-five years in Montana—including time on working cattle ranches, in museums, and as a gallery owner—deepened her connection to the American West and its art. Barnett previously curated for the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings and welcomed the chance to return to the Rocky Mountain West when appointed to the Whitney. She earned an MA in Art History and a Museum Studies certificate from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 2011, and a BA in Printmaking from Montana State University–Bozeman. Her recent work highlights contemporary Western artists such as James Bama, Will James, Tracy Linder, and Bill Stockton. Research interests include Euro-American and Indigenous arts, studio craft, photography, and printmaking. With a background in studio art, she brings deep insight into materials and artistic processes.