Director/CEO [Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH]

Description

BACKGROUND

The Currier Museum of Art, the most prominent cultural institution and largest art museum in the State of New Hampshire, is seeking a new Director/CEO. We are seeking a visionary leader to serve as the artistic, strategic and operational head of the Museum. She/he will bring a love of the visual arts, a discerning eye for acquisitions and well-defined skills in art museum administration, programming and fundraising.

The Currier Museum was founded in 1929 by former Governor Moody Currier. His bequest provided funds to build the Museum and establish an operating endowment. Farsighted trustees and directors, committed to acquiring works of the highest caliber, filled the Museum’s galleries. These early acquisitions formed the core of the Currier collection, which now contains 13,000 works of art. The permanent collection focuses on European and American painting, a strong collection of historical and contemporary regional fine and decorative arts and sculpture from late Gothic to the present. The Currier regularly lends its collections nationally and internationally. The Museum is AAM-accredited and an AAMD member.

Since 1929, the Currier Museum has expanded twice and grown to 75,000 square feet. In 1982, two pavilions designed by Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer were built to house the growing collections. A 33,000-square foot addition by Ann Beha Architects opened in March 2008. This expansion provided additional space for special exhibitions, added two classrooms for educational programming, a 180-seat auditorium, and the new glass enclosed Charlotte and Ruth Anderson Lobby. The expansion also added the 3,700 square foot Henry Melville Fuller Winter Garden Café, a unique lunch venue and event space. On one side of the room, the beautiful mosaics surrounding the former entrance are now completely visible from within, and on the other side of the room, the commission of a wall painting by Sol Lewitt creates a dialogue between early 20th century and late 20th century American art, two important areas of the permanent collection.

The Currier’s wide-ranging exhibition program is accompanied by in depth education and public programs. Past exhibitions have included Andy Warhol: Pop Politics (2008), From Homer to Hopper (2010) and Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey (2014). In 2014, the Currier mounted the exhibition: M.C. Escher: Reality & Illusion, a retrospective for which the Currier was the exclusive New England venue. The show broke attendance records. Maxfield Parrish: The Power of the Print now on view will be followed in spring 2016 by Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe, organized by the Brooklyn Museum.

The Currier has received a number of generous bequests from devoted supporters. In 2001, longtime trustee Henry Melville Fuller bequeathed $43 million, with half establishing the first acquisition endowment and the balance added to the operating endowment. Gifts by Ed and Mary Scheier and others added substantial funds to the acquisition endowments. The total Museum endowment is $80 million, of which $40.2 million is restricted for acquisitions. The annual draw-down creates a substantial allowance for purchases.

The Currier was the beneficiary of an extraordinary gift in 1988. Isadore J. and Lucille Zimmerman bequeathed a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Usonian house they commissioned in 1949. Wright designed the house, interiors, furnishings and gardens. The Zimmermans’ gift also included their personal collection of modern art, pottery and sculpture, and a fund to support the preservation of the house. The Zimmerman House is the only Wright house in New England open to the public and draws international visitors.

In 1939, the Museum established the Currier Art Center to bring a wide range of studio-based art education programs to Manchester and environs for students of all ages. In 1998, the Art Center moved to a building across the street from the main Museum. Each year, between 1,300 and 1,800 students take studio courses and workshops in sculpture, painting, photography, ceramics and a variety of other media taught by a professional staff of 20 to 25. The Museum also serves over 7,000 students in educator-led tours.

The Museum’s FY16 operating budget is $4,600,000. The Currier has a 33-person full-time staff. There are three full-time curators. The Currier has an active and supportive 18-person Board of Trustees and six Trustees Emeriti. The Advisory Council has 35 members and the Guild of Volunteers 102.

THE POSITION

Accountability

The Director/CEO reports to the Board and has full responsibility, authority and accountability for implementing a clear vision for the future of the Museum, building on its strengths and capitalizing on new opportunities. She/he will serve on ad hoc and permanent committees of the Board and will work collaboratively with the Board to achieve the Museum’s mission and goals.

The Director/CEO will ensure the Museum’s continued excellence through the application of the highest standards to the exhibition, research, interpretation and enhancement of its internationally renowned collections. The Director/CEO will ensure continued fiscal soundness through astute strategic planning, fundraising and business management.

Reporting to the Director/CEO are the Director of Development; Director of Public Relations & Marketing; Director of Art Education; Director of Operations & Human Resources; Chief Financial Officer and Director of Collections and Exhibitions.

Primary Responsibilities

The Director/CEO will serve as the leading advocate and spokesperson for the Museum and will engage with arts and other appropriate organizations, establishing connections in the four key regions within the State. In addition she/he will include Boston and environs in outreach activities.

The Director/CEO will provide the Currier with strategic, collaborative leadership, vision and effective management and programmatic inspiration guided by its mission and values, including the promotion of practices that facilitate open communication, cooperation, satisfaction and teamwork and the implementation of fundraising plans to support its operations, programs and to increase endowment. She/he will:

• Assess the current operating structure including program implementation and staffing requirements; ensure an infrastructure that will assist in achieving the Museum’s stated goals and objectives.
• Work with the Board and the Director of Development to raise funds from individuals, foundations, corporations and government sources in support of the Museum’s operations and programs and to grow the endowment; establish positive relationships with existing donors and identify and cultivate new donors.
• Cultivate relationships and collaborative partnerships and increase awareness of the Museum’s excellent collections and partnerships within the immediate community, regionally, nationally and internationally.
• Ensure that comprehensive marketing efforts are well-funded and successful in promoting exhibitions and education programs and in increasing visitation and Museum memberships.
• Work collaboratively with the Director of Collections and Exhibitions and the curatorial staff to provide strategic oversight for the development of the collections and planning of exhibitions.
• Work closely and collaboratively with the Director of Art Education on all matters relating to Museum and Art Center education programs.
• Maintain frequent communication with the Board and staff; ensure a positive and successful organizational structure.
• Work with the Governance Committee to identify, cultivate and recruit new Board members.
• Assess the effectiveness of existing technologies and embrace new ones as needed.

LOCATION

Just fifty miles north of Boston, Manchester offers a rich combination of history, industry and culture. Its current population is estimated at 110,400. The metropolitan area of Manchester-Nashua-Concord has 405,000 residents, one-third of the population of the State of New Hampshire.

Manchester is an important legal and banking center in New England. The city also has a vibrant and growing high tech sector. Developed in the last 10-15 years, it includes companies like Dyn, Autodesk and SilverTech, which are attracting a younger demographic to the workforce and the area. Manchester is also the center of a growing health-care industry and a vital arts community.

Requirements

Qualifications and Personal Characteristics

The Director/CEO must be a socially adept and confident leader who enjoys interacting with a wide range of people. She/he will have at least 10 years of senior level experience in an art museum that includes curatorial, staff management, financial administration and fundraising. A Master’s degree in Art History is required.

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

• Outstanding people management skills and the ability to develop a cohesive team
• Connections to the art field including museum leaders, scholars and relevant professional associations
• Knowledge of collections management, conservation and accession policies; a discerning and trained eye for acquisitions and collection development
• Dedication, discipline and ambition to turn vision into achievement
• Ability to inspire and build confidence inside and outside the Museum among a broad range of constituencies
• Demonstrated experience raising money from individuals, foundations, corporations and government
• A personality that enjoys social interaction
• Energy, motivation, hands-on-work and a good sense of humor

Resumes and recommendations should be sent to:
Opportunity Resources Inc.
attention Freda Mindlin or Nancy Kaufman
search@opportunityresources.net (emails are preferred)