White House Office of the Curator

{{short description|Office of the White House}}

{{more footnotes needed|date=August 2009}}

{{Infobox US Cabinet

| post = White House Curator

| insignia = The White House logo under Trump 2.0.jpg

| insigniasize = 150px

| insigniacaption =

| department = Executive Residence

| image =

| incumbent = Donna Hayashi Smith

| incumbentsince =

| incumbentend =

| first = Lorraine Waxman Pearce

| appointer = President of the United States

| formation = {{start date and age|1961}}

| website = {{URL|https://www.whitehouse.gov}}

}}

Image:TinaHagerChinaRoom.jpg by sculptor Giuseppe Ceracchi (1751–1801) receives conservation work in the China Room.]]

The White House Office of the Curator is charged with the conservation and study of the collection of fine art, furniture, and decorative objects used to furnish both the public and private rooms of the White House as an official residence and as an accredited historic house museum.{{cite web |title=Hail to the Chief Curator |url=https://www.whitehousehistory.org/hail-to-the-chief-curator |website=White House Historical Association |access-date=20 January 2022 |language=en}}

The office began in 1961 during the administration of President John F. Kennedy while First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy oversaw the restoration of the White House.{{cite web|title=Curator's Office|url=http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/floor0/curators-office.htm|publisher=The White House Museum}} The office is located in the ground floor of the White House Executive Residence. The office, headed by the curator of the White House, includes an associate curator, an assistant curator, and a curatorial assistant. The office works with the chief usher, the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, and the White House Historical Association.

The most recent White House curator is Donna Hayashi Smith, appointed in May 2024. Previously it was Lydia Tederick, appointed in 2017.{{Cite web |last=House |first=The White |date=2024-05-02 |title=White House Announces Appointment of New Curator |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/05/02/white-house-announces-appointment-of-new-curator/ |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=The White House |language=en-US}}