Museum Search & Reference - Marilyn Hoffman

CURRENT SEARCHES
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The Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Providence, RI

1. Director of Museum Marketing

2. Associate Curator of Decorative Arts

Director of Museum Marketing

Responsibilities

Press and public relations
Marketing of exhibitions and programs
Internal communications
Maintain Museum image and message in publications and on Web
Oversee publications including newsletters, invitations, education brochures, and gallery guides
Supervise 2.5 employees
Supervise Visitor Services

Required

B.A. in English, Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Journalism or related field
8+ years of experience in diversified public relations, communications, or marketing at nonprofit arts organization(s)
Proven track record of major-media story placements and results-oriented marketing
Ability to work across departments and meet deadlines without daily supervision
Ability to work collaboratively with College's Media professionals, and with city and regional institutions to partner on city-wide cultural- tourism initiatives
Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills; sophisticated visual sensibilities; and ability to manage multiple priorities
Experience developing media plans, negotiating contracts, and understanding fiscal budgets
Supervisory experience

About the Museum of Art, RISD

The 125-year-old Museum of Art, RISD, is the college museum for RISD and the major art museum and cultural attraction for Providence, the state, and the region. Permanent collection of over 84,000 objects, from ancient to contemporary; dynamic exhibition program; and staff of 60. Visit: www.risdmuseum.org.

Nominations welcome. EOE. Apply in confidence: Email resume, cover letter, list of 3 references with contact info, and salary requirement to search firm: Marilyn Hoffman, Museum Search & Reference at SearchandRef@museum-search.com by 2/15/2010.

Associate Curator of Decorative Arts

Opportunity for a mid-career curator to initiate projects and install and curate one of America's great Decorative-Arts collections. The collection encompasses 20,000 European and American objects (including furniture, silver, metalwork, ceramics, glass, and wallpaper) from the Medieval period to the present. This position reports to the Director.

Job Responsibilities

Develop exhibitions and publications
Care for and install the collection
Teach from and make the collection accessible to RISD students and faculty, the broader academic community, and general public
Acquire objects through purchases and gifts, with priority in 20th-century Design
Support fundraising and public relations efforts

Required

M.A. in Art History or related field
5+ years of curatorial experience in Decorative Arts, preferably at an art or college museum
A record of independent conceptualization, development, and organization of exhibitions and catalogues
Broad background in American and European Decorative Arts
Demonstrated interest in history of Design and Architecture
Experience with conservation and collection care; scholarly research and writing; public speaking. Connoisseurship skills
Strong collaborative and organizational skills to work with peers and faculty
Experience teaching from museum objects at college level
Flexibility and energy

About the Museum of Art, RISD

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COMPLETED SEARCHES

FARNSWORTH ART MUSEUM

ROCKLAND, MAINE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Christopher J. Brownawell has been appointed the new Director of the Farnsworth Art Museum. Brownawell, who has been director of the Academy Art Museum in Easton, Maryland since 1993, will join the Farnsworth on February 1, 2010.

Richard Aroneau, president of the board of trustees of the Farnsworth, announced the appointment on Wednesday, November 4, 2009.

"Chris Brownawell is a nationally recognized art museum director," Aroneau said in a press release. "The board and I look forward to working with Chris to help the Farnsworth realize its extraordinary potential. Under his leadership, the Academy Art Museum, which serves a community with many parallels to Rockland, significantly grew its collections, education programs, audiences, facilities and endowment. Chris directed two successful capital expansion programs adding 28,000 square feet of program space and raised over $25 million in support for the museum over his tenure."

Brownawell received a bachelor's degree in art with emphasis in art history from Wilkes College in Pennsylvania and a master's degree in museum education from George Washington University in Washinton, DC. Before joining the Academy Art Museum as curator in 1988, he held positions with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, and the Commonwealth Conservation Center during undergraduate and graduate internships.

"I am honored to have been asked to lead the Farnsworth," Brownawell said. "I am excited to work with the board, staff and volunteers to continue presenting the highest quality programming to our broad and growing audiences. The Farnsworth's outstanding collection, innovative exhibitions, and leading-edge education programs are testimonies to the achievements of the staff and the generosity of the community. The opportunity to help such a wonderful institution build an even brighter future while living in a place of breathtaking natural beauty and exceptional cultural leadership was irresistible."

Brownawell is moving to the Midcoast with his wife, Carol, and their three children. "As a child, some of my fondest moments were visits to the Philadelphia Museum of Art," Brownawell said. "And I want both children and adults to have similar memories from their time in the Farnsworth's galleries and education programs."

Brownawell succeeds Michael Komanecky, who has served as the Museum's Interim Director since January 2009 when Lora Urbanelli, then the Farnsworth's director, became director of the Montclair Art Museum in New Jersey. Michael will return to his position of Chief Curator on February 1.

The Farnsworth Museum is a nationally recognized collection of over 10,000 objects begun by Lucy Farnsworth in 1940s, including works by Stuart, Cole, Sully, Eakins, Lane, Benson, Hassam, Homer, Bellows, Hopper, Marin, Prendergast, Nevelson, Indiana, Katz, Noland, Welliver, Clemente, Salle, Bartlett, Jacquette, and 3 generations of Wyeths. In recent decades, buildings and programs have grown rapidly. Facilities include 4 new galleries to showcase contemporary art; the historic Farnsworth Homestead; and Olson House, setting for Wyeth’s Christina’s World. Farnsworth plays crucial role in economy of Midcoast Maine and in regional and national art.
Visit http://www.farnsworthmuseum.org/.

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PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM

Salem, MA

Assistant Director of Education for Adult Programs

Michelle Moon is Assistant Director of Education for Adult Programs, effective September 22, 2009.

Moon was Director of Education at Strawbery Banke Museum since 2006 and was Education Manager in 2004-05. She oversaw the education/interpretation program at the 10-acre outdoor history museum with 60,000 annual visitors.

Previously, she was Program Area Coordinator at Mystic Seaport Museum, CT in 2003-2004, Program Manager in 2000-2003, and Assistant Program Manager in 1999-2000.

Moon holds a B.A. in English and Education from Connecticut College. She is a 2007 graduate of AASLH’s Seminar for Historical Administration.

The Peabody Essex Museum is a growing museum of international art and culture that features America, Asia, Oceania, and Africa; photography; maritime and decorative art; and 24 historic properties. PEM strives to create experiences that transform people's lives by broadening their perspectives, attitudes, and knowledge of themselves and a wider world. PEM's new 180,000 square-foot building, designed by preeminent architect Moshe Safdie, opened in 2003. Collections exceeding 880,000 objects and a $20-million budget support the Museum's mission and goals.
Visit http://www.pem.org/.

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HILL-STEAD MUSEUM

FARMINGTON, CT

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

--SEARCH COMPLETED--

SUE STURTEVANT, Ed.D.,

FORMERLY OF SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO,

WILL BE THE NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CEO,

EFFECTIVE JANUARY 12, 2009.

Sturtevant, a native of Bath, Maine, currently serves as the Director of Statewide Partnerships for the Department of Cultural Affairs for the state of New Mexico. In this role, she works closely with state art and history museums and the state’s Historic Preservation Division. From 1993-2002 Sturtevant was Chief of Education at the Museum of New Mexico, a complex of four museums featuring art, history, folk art and Southwest culture. Sturtevant was Chair of the Santa Fe Arts Commission for five years. From 1988-1993 she was Director of the Kohl Children’s Museum near Chicago.

Hill-Stead Museum has been called “the finest Colonial Revival House, and Museum, in the United States.” The Museum was established in 1947. Today, over 32,000 visitors a year enjoy tours, lectures, family festivals, poetry and curriculum–based school activities. Renowned French Impressionist paintings—four by Claude Monet, three by Edgar Degas— and notable works by Édouard Manet, Mary Cassatt and James McNeill Whistler are highlights. The 152-acre property features an Arts and Crafts carriage barn and theater, stone garages, woodland trails, a pond and dairy complex, and the Sunken Garden, designed by Beatrix Farrand c. 1920. http://www.hillstead.org/

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Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art

DIRECTOR OF MUSEUM EDUCATION

--SEARCH COMPLETED--

Sarah Ganz Blythe, Ph.D.,

formerly of the Museum of Modern Art, NY, is the new
Director of Education at RISD,

effective January 20, 2009

Visit: http://www.risdmuseum.org/
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KALAMAZOO INSTITUTE OF ARTS
Kalamazoo, Michigan
http://www.kiarts.org/

Director of Collections and Exhibitions

--SEARCH COMPLETED--

VICKI WRIGHT,

FORMERLY DIRECTOR, UNH ART MUSEUM, DURHAM, NH,

IS THE NEW KIA

DIRECTOR OF COLLECTIONS AND EXHIBITIONS

EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2008

KIA is a growing AAMD art museum
in a beautiful region of Western Michigan.
Visit http://www.kiarts.org/

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PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM

Salem, MA

CURATORIAL SEARCHES COMPLETED

Curator of Photography

--SEARCH COMPLETED--

Phillip Prodger

formerly at the the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa,
and previously at the Saint Louis Art Museum,
is the new Curator of Photography.

Effective June 2, 2008.

Curator of Contemporary Art

--SEARCH COMPLETED--

Trevor Smith

formerly of Bard College, NY,

and the New Museum, New York, NY,

will be the new Curator of Contemporary Art.
Effective September 22, 2008

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H I G G I N S A R M O R Y M U S E U M

Worcester, MA

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

--SEARCH COMPLETED--

NIKKI ANDERSEN IS THE NEW DIRECTOR

Andersen was formerly at the
Indianapolis Children's Museum and Wintherthur.

EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2008

The Higgins Armory Museum is the only museum in the Western Hemisphere solely dedicated to arms and armor. www.higgins.org

Higgins Armory Museum, a preeminent collection of

Medieval-Renaissance armor, with fine examples from feudal Japan and ancient Greece/Rome, and related paintings and decorative arts, displayed in a 1929 Art-Deco “crystal palace-type,” National-Register building.