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CURRENT SEARCHES
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Forbes House Museum
215 Adams Street,
Milton, Massachusetts 02186

ttp://www.forbeshousemuseum.org/ 

 DIRECTOR 

Located 8 miles south of Boston, the Forbes House Museum is an 1833 Greek Revival house, built by Captain Robert Bennet Forbes and his siblings as a gift to their mother. The Forbes family was one of a number of prominent Boston merchants who launched the expansion of U.S. trade with China.  The Museum has an extensive collection of Chinese export items, including porcelains, bronzes, rosewood furniture, textiles, silver, and paintings.  Captain Forbes’s granddaughter, Mary Bowditch Forbes, gathered a large collection of Civil War artifacts, including Abraham Lincoln autographs and photographs, books and documents about Abolition, and a replica of Lincoln’s log cabin, which sits on the Museum’s grounds. 
Position Description:

Working closely with the Board of Trustees, the Director will:

  • Develop a vision and facilitate a strategic plan.
  • Develop a comprehensive fund-raising program, including membership, annual fund, foundation and grant funding, special events, and cultivation of donor relationships.
  • Expand the volunteer program with recruiting, training, incentives, and recognition.
  • Upgrade marketing strategies to increase visibility and visitation.
  • Manage and care for the collections and oversee maintenance of buildings and grounds.
  • Ensure the safety and security of the site and collections.
  • Oversee educational programs for school groups and adults.
  • Create and manage the annual budget.
  • Maintain official records and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
  • Oversee 1 or 2 part-time staff.
  • Perform all duties necessary for smooth and successful operations.
Required/Desired Qualifications: 
The successful candidate will:
  • Be a leader who inspires diverse constituents and generates enthusiasm for the Museum.
  • Have experience running an organization, department, or complex projects, including managing a budget and raising funds.
  • Have strong interpersonal skills.
  • Have marketing and communication skills.
  • Be proficient in computer programs for office, communications, and research.·   
  • Be willing to pitch in and do what is needed.
  • Have museum experience (4 years minimum).
  • Have a B.A. (M.A. preferred) in a related field, such as American History, Historic Preservation, or Decorative Arts, and the ability and interest to research and accurately interpret the House and collections. 
Museum Search & Reference (www.museum-search.com) is consulting on this internally conducted search. 

Nominations welcome.  EOE.  Apply in confidence: Email resume, cover letter, list of 3 references with contact information, and salary requirement to the Forbes House Museum, Search Committee at meltm@comcast.net by 4/30/2010.  No longer accepting applications.

 


 

Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design

224 Benefit Street
Providence, RI 02903

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

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 5/3/2010.  No longer accepting applications. 

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COMPLETED SEARCHES

Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design

Providence, RI

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

--Search Completed--  

 

 

Donna Desrochers has been appointed as Director of Marketing at the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence, effective August 16, 2010.

 

Desrochers has marketing experience at three art museums.  She comes to the RISD Museum from the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, where she has been Director of Marketing and Communications since 2007, just after the ICA opened its new building.

 

She was Public Relations Manager at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA in 2004-2007. She was part of an award-winning marketing team that oversaw PEM's transformation after it opened its new Moshe Safdie building.  Previously she worked as Senior Media Relations Specialist for the Arts and Humanities at Brandeis University, including marketing for the Rose Art Museum.

 

At the RISD Museum, Donna will oversee marketing, PR, publications, the website, and visitor services.

 

A native Canadian, Donna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Development Studies from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  She has completed further studies in Studio Art and Philosophy at the University of Toronto in Ontario.

 

Museum Search & Reference managed this national search.

 

We encourage you to visit the RISD Museum at www.risdmuseum.org.

 

 

FARNSWORTH ART MUSEUM

ROCKLAND, MAINE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

--SEARCH COMPLETED--

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/.


 

PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM

Salem, MA

Assistant Director of Education for Adult Programs

--SEARCH COMPLETED--
 

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/.



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