Executive Director/CEO [Vero Beach Museum of Art, Vero Beach, FL]

Description

The Vero Beach Museum of Art (VBMA) was founded as a regional center for the appreciation and teaching of the arts and humanities.   The Museum opened its doors to the public on January 31, 1986 as the Center for the Arts, and over the past 30 years it has developed into the principal visual arts facility on Florida’s Treasure Coast, serving a three-county area and continuing to reach new local and visiting audiences from all parts of the state and beyond.

The Museum is recognized as the cultural heart of the community and welcomes more than 65000 visitors annually to enjoy its wide range of programs.  These include:

• a diverse and dynamic exhibition schedule featuring loaned shows from major national and international collections, along with important self-curated exhibitions;
• an active Museum Art School offering a wide range of classes;
• a broad humanities program featuring film studies programs, art appreciation seminars, opera studies, an International Lecture series and a Distinguished Professor lecture series;
• a wide variety of community outreach programs including a very active linkage with the Indian River School district, healing through art programs, a major partnership with an early childhood reading alliance, cultural events special youth events and many more;

The Museum has a growing permanent collection of 900 pieces, focused on 20^th and 21^st century American and International art.  Acquisitions have come primarily from gifts and from the work of the Athena Society whose 89 members provide an annual acquisition fund of $500k.  The permanent collection will be enhanced in the future by a recent significant gift to the endowment restricted to acquisitions.

In 1997, the VBMA received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums, and re-accreditation was achieved in 2008, recognizing the institution for its standards of professionalism in all areas of its operations.

The Museum’s neoclassical structure, with its outdoor sculpture garden commands a premiere position on 7.2 acres of Vero Beach’s Riverside Park, alongside the scenic Indian River.  After two expansions, the building is currently a 75000 sq. ft. facility, housing:

• five exhibition galleries
• a 245 seat auditorium,
• a large hall for entertaining and special events,
• a covered atrium with the museum café,
• the Museum Art School with 5 studio classrooms, ceramics facilities,  a community gallery and a seminar room,
• a state-of the-art two-story collections wing with indoor loading dock, secure vault, and all necessary curatorial and conservation facilities,
• a library,
• a museum store,
• an administration area with offices and boardroom.

The VBMA has an annual operating budget of $4.7 million of which approximately 40% is provided by earned income and endowment revenue, with the rest coming from annual fundraising activities including various tiers of membership, special events, and individual sponsorship of various programs.  The endowment stands at $23 million and an endowment campaign, still in its quiet phase, expects to increase the endowment to at least $30 million this year.

The Museum has 28 full time employees and 38 part-time staff, assisted by more than 300 volunteers.  The Board of Directors is presently composed of 25 members.
The VBMA is open and active year-round, but there is a significant seasonal peak between November and May that impacts programming and fund-raising activities.

MUSEUM GOALS:

Mission – The VBMA provides cultural leadership and enrichment for the public through a wide variety of educational, studio art and humanities programs; a diversity of quality exhibitions; and the collection, preservation and presentation of important American and international works of art.

Vision – The VBMA will be a cultural magnet for the Treasure Coast and beyond. It will be recognized locally, regionally and nationally for the significance of its exhibitions, the excellence of its collections and the exceptional quality of its interdisciplinary public programs, Museum Art School, educational offerings, Board and Staff.

Core Values – The VBMA practices Excellence, Integrity, Exceptional Quality, Highest Professional Standards, Pride, Commitment, Diversity, and the Strong belief that the Visual Arts and Humanities make a tremendous difference in our lives.

To learn more about the Vero Beach Museum of Art, please visit www.verobeachmuseum.org.

THE POSITION:

The Executive Director/CEO, reporting to the Board of Trustees, provides vision, strategic leadership and management expertise to assure the well-being and on-going success of the Vero Beach Museum of Art.

GENERAL SUMMARY:

The Executive Director/CEO is responsible for:

• Exhibition and program planning
• Leadership of the Museum Art School and all educational activities
• Financial stewardship and delivery of a balanced budget
• Facilities management and capital budgeting
• Stewardship and growth of the collection
• Leading, motivating and developing an engaged and productive staff and volunteer corps
• Serving as a highly visible ambassador and friend-raiser for the Museum
• Leading an effective development program working closely with the Board of Trustees
• Supporting effective Board operations, governance and continuity.

CHALLENGES AND IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES:

• Create and implement an ambitious and aspirational long-term plan for the Museum that will build on its demonstrated success and take it to a new level of impact and vitality in the local and regional community.
• Continue to strengthen staff capacity and support a culture of innovation, collaboration, professional development and accountability.
• Develop new strategies for friend- and fund-raising, to energize community support of and engagement in VBMA activities.

THE INDIVIDUAL:

The ideal Executive Director/CEO will be an experienced leader and administrator, who has a deep commitment to the arts and will generate support from current and potential donors, and a broad range of individuals.  He or she will ideally have the following:

Qualifications and Experience

• MA or PhD in Art History, Museum Studies and/or a related field, with a deep knowledge of 20th and 21^st century art.
• Five to ten years of museum management and leadership experience.  This may have been as a Director of a smaller institution or as a Department Head in a larger organization, but in either case, it will have involved administrative and organization responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience in the development and implementation of a visionary strategic plan.
• A proven record of sound financial, staff and facilities management.
• Proven fund-raising ability, from a variety of sources, including successful experience cultivating and soliciting gifts from individuals and keeping them engaged over the long term.
• Demonstrated ability to serve as an effective spokesperson and ambassador for an institution or program, with outstanding oral and written communication skills.
• Strong network of colleagues and other professionals and a commitment to collaboration and partnering.

Personal Characteristics

• Passion for the arts and their role in community life and education
• Strong interpersonal skills and leadership skills, with the ability to make decisions thoughtfully, thoroughly and decisively, and to manage change
• A diplomat and a consensus builder with a successful record of engaging, partnering and building alliances with a wide range of stakeholders
• The ability and the passion to energize the community in support of the Museum and its programs
• A high energy level to deal with the high seasonal demands, and extensive entertaining and special events
• A team builder with an understanding of the subtleties of motivating, directing and working with a group of diverse personalities, as well as the ability to delegate, handle and prioritize multiple activities and responsibilities
• A creative thinker with excellent marketing instincts and a high comfort level with technology and emerging digital platforms.

START DATE:

The present Executive Director/CEO, Dr. Lucinda H. Gedeon, has announced her retirement, effective November 2016.  The Board hopes to find and install her replacement on a schedule that will provide for minimal interruption in leadership.

COMPENSATION:

The Executive Director/CEO’s compensation is commensurate with the importance of the role. Benefits include health insurance, voluntary dental insurance, an annuity plan, life insurance, a flexible benefit spending plan, and vacation.

PROCEDURE FOR APPLICATION:
Applicants should submit a resume, a one-page narrative describing interest and experience, and the names of three references. Applications will be reviewed by Management Consultants for the Arts, an executive search firm working with the Museum’s President and search committee. Suggestions of candidates are welcome.

Send resume and accompanying materials to:

Linda Sweet or Bill Appleton

Subject: VBMA

Email: MCAWall2@gmail.com

The Vero Beach Museum of Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer.