After more than three decades at the helm, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego director Hugh Davies is preparing to hand the reins to MCASD deputy director Kathryn Kanjo, who will become the museum’s director and CEO in October. The shift in leadership comes at a time when the museum is in the early planning stages of a major renovation and expansion of its location at 700 Prospect St. (It also operates two galleries in downtown San Diego.) The project, still in the fundraising phase, will be designed by New York architect Annabelle Selldorf and add 30,000 square feet of gallery space to better display the museum’s nearly 5,000-object collection in a more permanent fashion. “I am coming in at a time in which we are planning for growth, so I think the continuity will be to my advantage,” said Kanjo, who joined MCASD from the University Art Museum at UC Santa Barbara, where she served as director until 2010. “I want to continue our commitment to living artists even as we ready ourselves to showcase our historical holdings. So, one foot in art history and the other in the future.” Davies, a Francis Bacon scholar who has led the museum since 1983, will remain with MCASD until his contract expires in 2018. He’ll oversee the capital campaign and building expansion. “It focuses my purview and gives Kathryn the benefit of running the museum without having to worry about the capital campaign,” he said. “It will give her time to get comfortable with the museum. I’ll be reporting to the board and working closely with the building committee and the campaign committee.” This is Kanjo’s second stint at the museum over the course of her career. In the 1990s, she worked as an assistant curator (1992-94) and associate curator (1994-95), helping produce “La Frontera,” an exhibition related to the Mexican border, as well as shows by artists such as Leonardo Drew, Rita McBride and Jorge Pardo. – Los Angeles Times