Deputy Director, Collections, Research & Exhibitions at Corning Museum of Glass [Corning Museum of Glass]

The Deputy Director, Collections, Research & Exhibitions, is a new position reporting to and serving as a strong administrative and creative partner to the President and Executive Director of the Corning Museum of Glass, the world’s leading museum dedicated to the presentation, display and interpretation of glass and glassmaking. The Deputy Director will provide strategic leadership and management of all departments in her/his division, which includes 8 direct reports: Collections & Exhibitions Manager, Chief Conservator, Chief Librarian, Director of Education, Head of Publications, Chief Digital Officer, Director of the Studio and Chief Scientist. The Deputy Director will serve as an articulate and persuasive spokesperson to collectors, funding sources, press and the public.

The Corning Museum of Glass campus will encompass 325,000 square feet when a major expansion is completed in March, 2015. The Museum is the repository for the world’s largest collection of glass, over 48,000 objects representing an encyclopedic 3,500?year history of the art and science of glass. The Corning complex includes the Rakow Research Library and The Studio, in addition to the Museum.

The new Contemporary Art + Design Wing of the Museum will add 100,000 square feet to the existing 225,000 square foot campus, housing expanded contemporary art and design galleries. The new wing is an innovative glass structure designed by Thomas Phifer and Partners.  To this extraordinary complex, CMoG expects to welcome more than 450,000 visitors a year.

The Museum offers an impressive variety of experiences for visitors. Workshops, classes, demonstrations, conferences, symposia, public lectures and seminars and artist presentations are offered for all ages and all levels of interest. The Museum’s GlassLab program enables designers to explore concepts in glass. Beyond the Museum walls, Corning collaborates with Celebrity Cruises to offer Hot Glass shows aboard their ships.

Education at the Museum is comprehensive, fully embracing the art and science of glass. Corning has a adopted a new interpretive strategy led by the Education Department to engage the entire Museum in a holistic approach that is visitor?centered, embraces the unique qualities of informal learning, is evidence?based and interdisciplinary. Conveying the Museum’s mission: to tell the world about glass, is at the heart of this integrated approach. It embraces every curatorial area, The Studio, Hot Glass Shows and the Rakow Library.
The Innovation Center is an interactive exhibit of the science and technology of glass, with an emphasis on discoveries in the 20^th and 21^st centuries. Artists and themes within the permanent glass collection as well as the special collections of the Rakow Research Library are explored in temporary exhibitions conceived and developed by the curatorial and library staff. These exhibitions regularly include loans from other international institutions. The Museum is developing a traveling exhibition program to share these exhibitions with a broader audience. Exhibition catalogues and related programming explore the themes and concepts of these shows.

The permanent collection continues to expand each year through gifts and acquisitions. The Ennion Society, the Museum’s patron group, raises money for acquisitions. The Fellows of the Corning Museum of Glass are among the world’s leading glass collectors, scholars, dealers and glassmakers. Their contributions support acquisitions to the Rakow Research Library.

With such vast holdings, the Museum’s famous Conservation Department plays a pivotal role in the condition and maintenance of every object in the Museum’s collection or loaned for exhibit. With state-of-the-art facilities created specifically for the examination and treatment of glass objects, the department is often called upon to oversee the conservation of important objects in the collections of other organizations and to teach the conservation of glass at other international institutions of higher learning.

The Rakow Research Library is considered the library of record on glass and contains the world’s finest collection of research materials related to the art, history and technology of glass. Designed to state-of-the-art standards, the library holds hundreds of thousands of research items in more than 40 languages. These extraordinary resources are available on-line and to visitors on-site, and provide a foundation for scholarly and technical articles produced by the curatorial, collections and conservation staffs; and a unique teaching opportunity for programs designed by the Education Department.

The Studio is the third building on the Museum campus. It is renowned as a hands-on teaching facility offering glassmaking classes for all skill levels in a broad range of techniques taught by artists and instructors from around the world. The Studio provides artist residencies and rental space for professional glassmakers. It also enables visitors to have a hands-on glassmaking experience as part of their visit to the Museum.

The Corning Museum of Glass operates with a budget of $60 million and has a full-time staff of 160 and a 17-member Board of Trustees.

More information about Corning Museum of Glass is HERE.

POSITION

Reporting Relationships

The Deputy Director will work closely with the President and Executive Director to carry out policies and maintain professional standards and to continually review and evaluate programs and objectives. She/he will lead a passionate and committed team to ensure the continued success, reach and impact of the Museum.

She/he will provide strategic leadership, oversight and management of all departments in her/his division, which includes eight direct reports: Collections & Exhibitions Manager, Chief Conservator, Chief Librarian, Director of Education, Head of Publications, Chief Digital Officer, Director of the Studio and Chief Scientist. The Deputy Director will direct the collaborative efforts of those responsible for the maintenance, display, interpretation and care of the collections in accordance with the highest professional and ethical standards; will ensure the effective coordination and interpretation of the activities of her/his Division with other divisions encompassing curatorial direction and operations of the Museum; and will serve as an articulate and persuasive spokesperson to collectors, funding sources, press and the public.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities will include:

• Motivating, inspiring and communicating effectively and frequently with staff; leading high performance, results-driven teams and fostering collaboration, open dialogue and debate
• Determining necessary staffing and resources, including recruiting and hiring; also supervising and coaching department heads and directors within the division
• Establishing and administering budgets

Education and Interpretation:

• With the Director of Education and Interpretation, ensuring that the vision and strategy for education and interpretation is articulated in all of the materials and programs within and outside the Museum
• Working closely with the Director of the Studio to enhance and build Studio     programming to ensure that the Studio remains an international leader in teaching glassmaking and supporting residences for glass artists
• Supporting the Chief Digital Officer’s vision and strategic direction for the Museum’s digital program onsite and online

Collections, Exhibitions and Acquisitions:

• With the President & Executive Director, formulating the Museum’s acquisitions strategy and regularly attending acquisitions meetings; working closely with the curators to develop strategies for cultivating possible gifts of art
• With the President and Executive Director and curators, formulating the Museum’s exhibition program; with the Collections Manager, ensuring that all exhibitions are delivered on budget and on time
• Working with Chief Conservator and other appropriate staff to determine collections and conservation priorities and ensure the highest standards of ethical practice and the appropriateness, safety and condition of all loans and each object in the Museum’s collection

Scholarship and Research:

• Supporting the scholarly research produced by the staff; with the Chief Librarian, ensuring that the Rakow Research Library continues to be the library of record on glass
• With the Head of Publications, overseeing the preparation and publication of the Museum’s books and journals, and determining the future publication strategy of the institution

Development and Marketing:

• Working closely with the Development office to identify funding sources in support of exhibitions, collections and education programs; assisting with the cultivation of donors and patrons
• Working closely with the Marketing Department and Exhibitions Planning team to ensure that approved exhibitions are marketed effectively

LOCATION

Corning is an historic and artistic city in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York. Most famous for its glassmaking past and present, Corning welcomes more than half a million people every year from all over the world.

Corning is about 100 miles from the cities of Rochester and Syracuse, both with important academic centers and thriving cultural institutions. Cornell University and Ithaca College are located in Ithaca, New York, 45 miles from Corning. The area is served by daily flights to major cities.

Qualifications and Requirements

The successful candidate will have a minimum of ten years of senior-level experience gained in an art museum or other appropriate arts institution. A master’s degree in a relevant field is required. A doctorate in art history is a significant advantage, but not a requirement. Training in Islamic or Ancient art would be valuable.

Among the most important qualities the successful candidate will have are leadership skills, financial and strategic planning skills and technical literacy, programmatic creativity, passion for art and significant knowledge of the art museum world. The candidate must have an understanding of, and experience in, the methods, techniques, and procedures involved in the interpretation, exhibition, and publication of a museum collection.

In addition, the following qualifications and characteristics are highly desired:

• Mission-driven, with belief in and commitment to the Museum’s mission, vision, and brand; commitment to and experience in developing and managing programs that will further the strategic vision of the Museum
• Reputation as a strategic thinker with ability to review and analyze complex issues, evaluate solutions and adopt an effective course of action
• Deep experience forging effective relationships with staff, volunteers, visitors, funding sources, trustees and other high-profile leaders
• Exceptional listening skills, comfortable receiving input from many sources, a collaborative spirit and equally at ease as a leader or team member
• Capacity to lead, manage, motivate and inspire a staff of accomplished professionals; promote team work and nurture creativity and innovation; encourage collaboration
• Experience in hiring and evaluating staff
• Proven facility working with finances, developing and monitoring expense and income budgets
• The ability to quickly learn about the art, history, science and technology of glass is essential; existing knowledge of glass is optimal

Personal Characteristics

The ideal candidate should have the following personal characteristics:

• Mature, confident and a courageous decision?maker
• Innovative, creative and entrepreneurial
• Personable, warm and engaging, tactful and able to navigate successfully in a variety of settings and with a variety of constituencies; sense of humor
• Commitment and determination to successfully implement and achieve the Museum’s mission
• High energy and a roll-up your sleeves work ethic

Address all inquiries and recommendations in confidence
to the retained search consultants (e-mails are preferred).
Please do not send printed catalogues or material.Freda Mindlin or Nancy Kaufman
Opportunity Resources Inc.
196 East 75th Street, Suite 14H
New York, NY 10021
(212) 744-4409
search@opportunityresources.net
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