Posted August 28, 2014

The Newport Art Museum & Association (the “Museum”) seeks a new Executive Director during an exciting time of growth and renewed institutional focus. Established in 1912, the Museum today is a cultural and educational institution serving its region with art instruction, community outreach, the adaptive reuse of a historic building and collections and exhibitions showcasing the artistic heritage and contemporary artists of Rhode Island. The Museum also participates in numerous partnerships and collaborations with other arts and cultural organizations, public schools, social service agencies and performing arts groups.

Situated at the north end of Bellevue Avenue, the Museum is neighbor to the Redwood Library and Touro Park. Its campus is in easy walking distance of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Touro Synagogue and many local businesses, hotels and restaurants. This prime location puts it on the path of the more than one million cultural visitors who spend time in Newport each year. 2014 marks the sesquicentennial of the Museum’s Richard Morris Hunt designed John N. A. Griswold House, a National Historic Landmark, which now contains 12 galleries, a youth studio, an apartment and administrative offices. Across the sculpture garden, the Cushing Gallery comprises three secure, climate-controlled galleries as well as the curatorial department and collections area. This building enables the Museum to borrow works of art from lending institutions when mounting exhibitions. The Minnie and Jimmy Coleman Center for Creative Studies is the Museum’s school. Housed in the Gilbert S. Kahn building since 1996, the school has offered art classes, workshops and summer camps for adults and children for more than a century. Facilities include the education office, dedicated printmaking and ceramics studios, a digital media studio and two large painting studios.

The Museum organizes 12 special exhibitions annually in the Griswold House and Cushing Gallery, drawn from its permanent collection, the holdings of other museums, private collections and loans from regional artists. Hundreds of local and regional artists have opportunities to exhibit their works in the “Newport Annual Members’ Juried Exhibition” and various other exhibitions and events throughout the year. The Museum’s permanent collection contains more than 2,300 works of art, with an emphasis on the role of Rhode Island artists, established and emerging, in the development of American art from the nineteenth century to the present day.

The Museum has an operating budget of $1.5 million, a staff of 12 full-time and 18 part-time staff, 20-30 artist/faculty independent contractors and an endowment approaching $3 million. Membership stands at 3,000, with yearly attendance at 25,000. The Museum is open Tuesday – Sunday year-round.

The Executive Director is the Museum’s chief executive and operating officer and directs all operational, administrative and programmatic aspects of the Museum and school. He or she reports to the Board of Trustees and is responsible for the realization of the Museum’s mission, the achievement of established goals, sound financial management, staff supervision and prudent stewardship of the Museum’s assets. The new Executive Director will have the opportunity to implement a strategic plan adopted in 2013 that provides a detailed blueprint for building a sustainable Museum through strengthened fundraising, expanded course offerings, events and facilities’ rentals and improved governance. The plan calls for a capital campaign to be initiated in 2015.

Job Requirements
Qualifications: The Museum seeks a dedicated, charismatic museum professional with at least five years of management and supervisory experience and the capacity for sound fiscal management, relationship building and resource development within a sophisticated, complex region that includes a summer resort community and a thriving year-round city. Candidates should demonstrate an informed passion for art connoisseurship and historic preservation; a commitment to exemplary exhibitions and interpretation of historic and contemporary regional art; a belief that arts education and access to art are essential to an engaged and informed citizenry; familiarity with the AAM Characteristics of Excellence for U. S. Museums; and a record of success in the cultivation of members and donors, gift solicitation and the procurement of grant funding from foundations, government and individuals. Demonstrated proficiency in working with and empowering a voluntary board, in strategic planning, audience development, organizational capacity building and sustainability, are essential. The ability to communicate clearly in written, electronic and spoken public communication is necessary. An earned baccalaureate degree and a graduate or professional degree in a relevant discipline are required.

APPLY FOR THIS JOB
Contact Person: Chuck O’Boyle Phone: 401-919-5767
Email Address: chuck@cvoboyle.com