Kleinman received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. Since the 1990s, Kleinman has engaged in scholarly work focused mostly on 20^th century European modernism. He has been the recipient of two grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, four grants from the Graham Foundation, a Rudy Bruner Award and two Architect’s Journal Top 10 Books of the Year awards. The organization Design Intelligence has twice named Kleinman among the Top 25 Most Admired Educators in the last decade.

Kleinman said that what captivated him about the BAI, and Brown as a whole, is its treatment of the arts as a fundamental mode of research.

“Text-based and symbolic-logic-based scholarship are crucial to unlocking new insights, but there’s another way of probing the human condition, and that is through the arts,” he said. “A performance, a choreographed dance, a musical score, a mark on a piece of paper — these can also be research entities asking fundamental questions about what it means to be human. We are grappling with huge questions related to the human condition — questions of social equity, of sustainability — and so it’s helpful to gather perspectives not only from scientists and humanists, but also from artists.”

Kleinman said the BAI’s structure also appealed to him. The institute unites individual academic arts departments under one umbrella, facilitating collaboration across disciplines and paving the way for unique courses, research projects and creative endeavors. He said he hopes to build upon Brown scholars’ natural tendency to collaborate, not only across disciplines, but also across campuses. Brown and RISD already work together closely on undergraduate and graduate dual-degree programs, and their community members regularly team up to form student organizations, curate exhibitions and launch creative projects.

“Having gotten to know RISD well these past few years, I can say with confidence that the two institutions share a creative spirit yet bring different strengths to the table,” Kleinman said. “Enhancing that existing relationship, allowing it to flourish, benefits everyone, including surrounding communities.”

Working closely with Hoffman to lead the Brown Arts Institute, Kleinman will report directly to Locke, engaging in fundraising and new faculty initiatives and hires, and all academic program development. He’ll play a central role in engaging in outreach to advance Brown’s strategic goal of becoming the university of choice for talented, diverse faculty and students seeking excellence in creative production, performance, scholarship and education across the arts.

Kleinman will succeed Thalia Field, who will complete her term as BAI faculty director this summer and return to her full-time role as a Brown professor of creative writing.