Executive Director [Hockaday Museum of Art, Kalispell, MT]

HOCKADAY MUSEUM OF ART

KALISPELL, MONTANA

MISSION STATEMENT:  “To enrich the cultural life of our community and region, and preserve the artistic legacy of Montana and Glacier National Park”

The Hockaday Museum of Art in Kalispell, Montana is seeking to fill the Executive Director position by April, 2016.

Background:  Heading into our 48th year, The Hockaday Museum of Art is considered by many as one of the premier regional art museums in the Northwest.  Located in Kalispell, Montana, the Hockaday is 20 miles from the west entrance to Glacier National Park (GNP).  We are the only museum in the country with a curatorial focus on the art of GNP as part of its mission, and we have an extensive collection of GNP art and artifacts in our permanent collection. Our exhibition schedule includes contemporary artists of Montana and the Northwest, as well as national touring shows. The Museum’s 20,000 plus visitors are local, regional, and national with great potential as GNP attracts over two million visitors annually.   Our education department interacts with over 8,000 kids a year both in the museum and in schools.  We have a growing number of artists who consider the Hockaday their home and participate in member shows, Plein Aire, and individual exhibits.  For 47 years, we have conducted “Arts in the Park”, a juried summer arts and crafts festival in held in downtown Kalispell.  We launched “Timeless Legacy, the Women Artists of Glacier National Park” in August 2015 to national coverage and will expand with Timeless Legacy II in 2016.   Twenty seven of the country’s leading women Western artists have already agreed to participate in the August show and sale featuring GNP.  Our website “www.Hockadaymuseum.org” has details of the 2015 show and a short version of the DVD and book which was created by our members.

The Museum is located within the Flathead Valley that includes the West’s largest natural lake as well as two ski resorts with Whitefish being ranked in the top ten.  Rivers and mountains abound with numerous outdoor activities.  The airport is served by four carriers and we are seventy five miles from the Canadian border.  While the region’s population exceeds 100,000, visitor counts are high and the area has become a second home destination for many successful families from all over the country.

Position Attributes:  The Board of Directors is conducting an Executive Director search for an individual with 5+ years’ experience in museum management.  A bachelor’s degree in the Arts or Business or commensurate experience is required, however a master’s degree is preferred.  Curatorial skills/knowledge, imagination, and the love of art and nature are necessary.   He or she should have the interpersonal skills to manage the four person staff, and positively relate to the Board, our members, artists, and the public.  The successful candidate should have financial management experience and success in grant writing and fund raising.  We desire an individual to continue to grow the Hockaday in purpose and performance and to turn a vision into a strategic plan and then into reality.  While our annual budget is approximately $400,000, we have had recent success in the fund raising arena with a three year giving program which will culminate in conjunction with our 50^th anniversary celebration in 2018.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The Board has seventeen members and is active and supportive of the Director, staff, volunteers, and our Mission.  We aspire to generate a strategic plan that will include certification by the American Alliance of Art Museums in the not too distant future. We are housed in a 1906 Carnegie Library Building.  The entire museum lighting system has recently been upgraded and the permanent collection room had moveable racks installed last year.  The Hockaday just accepted 26 paintings from the family of one of the Timeless Legacy featured artists after review by our acquisition committee.   The desired candidate will build on these recent successes and bring new and innovative ideas to further lead and grow the Hockaday into the future.

Compensation: Compensation is competitive and will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.  A bonus and benefit package is included.

Application Procedure:  For a complete job description please e-mail Hocksearch@gmail.com. 

To be considered for the position, please e-mail a cover letter, your resume, salary expectations, and two letters of recommendation to Harry Wilson, Board President at Hocksearch@gmail.com.  The position will be posted through January 31, 2016.  All discussions and material will be considered confidential.

Hockaday Museum of Art is an equal opportunity employer.

Our website is “Hockadaymuseum.org”

12/14/2015

Requirements