MICHENER ART MUSEUM
INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Doylestown, PA
Application Deadline: Closed
The James A. Michener Art Museum (the “Museum”) in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 40 miles north of Philadelphia, seeks an Interim Executive Director (the “Interim ED” or “IED”) with solid skills in management and transitions to lead the Museum. The Interim ED should be an accomplished and empathetic leader who can provide short-term strategic and operational leadership to the organization while advancing the organization toward the future and laying a foundation for a permanent Executive Director’s success.
Position Location and Term
Expected 12-month contract (to evolve, could be 10-14 months). Candidates should be available to work full or nearly full time with an onsite presence during typical business hours and for certain off-hours events (with some flexibility offered, for example, 4 days onsite and one day remote). Requirements for onsite presence could evolve due to future pandemic restrictions or deregulations.
Term to begin as soon as possible, ideally in late April or early May 2022.
Must be available for the term of the appointment.
Should live within commuting distance. Familiarity with Bucks County is an asset.
Reports to: The Board of Trustees and is supervised by the Board Chair.
Supervises: The IED will have seven direct reports: the CFO, Chief Curator, Director of Building Operations, Director of Exhibitions, Chief Development Officer, Director of Public Engagement, and Director of Marketing and Communications. There are 37 total staff when all positions are filled.
Scope of the Position and Overall Responsibility
The Interim ED is the temporary executive director of the Museum, authorized and responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations, ensuring that virtual and onsite programs and exhibitions are developed and implemented as planned, and supporting ongoing efforts to strengthen and improve the institution. The Interim ED will consult with the Board Chair, designated board members or board committees and senior staff as appropriate to make decisions for key tasks and decisions with larger policy implications. They will make operational and programmatic decisions in consultation with senior staff.
The Interim ED should provide the trustees with current, complete financial information, and bring before the Board any matters involving policy questions not already determined. They will keep the Board informed on a timely basis of significant or substantial matters or intended actions affecting the institution. The Interim ED will carry out Board-approved policies and budgets.
A signed contract will formalize the relationship between the successful candidate and the Museum. The possibility of applying for the permanent ED position is not precluded; however, it should not be anticipated.
General responsibilities
Administration and management of day-to-day matters of museum operations and board communications.
Provide short-term strategic and operational leadership to the Museum. This includes leading staff, communicating with patrons, and keeping finances and revenue generation on budget, as well as moving forward current priority projects, such as for infrastructure and hiring of staff.
Utilize knowledge of effective operations for an art museum, providing recommendations for staff and Board on areas needing improvement or focus, in alignment with best practices and American Alliance of Museums standards.
Help the Board clarify its vision and future leadership needs, and help implement any designated governance or structural modifications.
Provide effective and empathetic management and leadership,
Work with the staff and Board on developing and implementing Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion plans and actions.
Facilitate a smooth transition for new ED once appointed.
Qualifications
Seasoned nonprofit manager with successful senior-level experience managing an organization (preferably a museum, particularly an art museum) and working with boards; knowledge of best nonprofit practices for strategy, staff management, finances, and systems/infrastructure. Preferred: knowledge of museum activities such as art collections and exhibitions, trends, and standards.
Demonstrated capacity to assist the Museum, its staff and Board to continue to evolve into a better-engaged and well-functioning organization focused on achieving its mission.
Experience with change-management desirable. A problem-solver who enjoys challenges and enhancing the path for long-term success.
Empathetic manager with emotional intelligence. Good listener. An enabler and mentor.
A leader who can read situations quickly, understand multiple perspectives, set priorities, and bring people together in a shared path forward. A consensus builder.
Strategic thinker who is good at making decisions with an understanding of how they impact overall institution and affiliated constituencies.
Team builder who is good with coaching staff to performance and job satisfaction. Strong interpersonal and proactive communication skills. An effective delegator.
Ability to understand the past (the Museum’s history) as a means to achieving the best possible future.
Ability to maintain relationships with external stakeholders and patrons.
Good understanding of the operational and back-office systems and infrastructure of a nonprofit (HR, Finance, IT, etc.).
Strategic fiscal management, oversight and budgeting skills.
Experience in developing and implementing Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion initiatives
Preferred: familiar with or can develop an understanding of the American Alliance of Museums core standards, by which the Museum is accredited.
Able to work principally onsite, in a hands-on position. Lives within reasonable commuting distance of the Museum. Familiarity with Bucks County is an asset.
Can be available for the term of the appointment.
The Michener Art Museum is an EA/EO employer and fosters diversity and inclusion.
Nominations and inquiries are welcome. Apply by March 23, 2022.
Apply in confidence. Email cover letter and résumé, salary request or range, and names of 3 references with contact information as soon as possible but not later than March 23, 2022, to: Marilyn Hoffman, Principal, or Connie Rosemont, Senior Search Consultant at: searchandref@museum-search.com. References will not be contacted without prior permission of the applicant, and all applications and nominations are kept confidential.
Candidate must be available for, initially, video interviews (Zoom) and subsequently onsite meetings with certain board members and staff, adhering to any required COVID-19 restrictions or deregulations. To be considered for the final round, the candidate must give signed permission to the Museum for reference checks, and typical background checks will be undertaken.
About the James A. Michener Art Museum
THE MUSEUM TODAY The James A. Michener Art Museum has been a beloved regional resource for over 30 years. The Museum has successfully offered programming throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and has emerged in sound financial condition and with an even larger membership base. The Museum recently has made growth-focused changes in leadership. New additions to the Museum management team and Board are in place and exciting exhibitions are lined up, all with the goal of strengthening the Museum’s commitment to inspire and nurture a lifelong connection to the arts.
The Michener has also hired several new members for the staff leadership team, bringing a breadth of world-renowned museum experience and depth of growth-focused leadership to the staff. In addition, Board Chair Virginia W. Sigety, a Trustee since 2005, welcomed several prominent new board members in 2021. “The Michener is expanding in strategic and thoughtful ways with the addition of several seasoned and well-respected leaders and board members. We are financially sound and well-positioned to move into the future,” said Sigety.
HISTORY The Michener Art Museum was founded in 1988 to commemorate the artistic heritage of Bucks County, PA, a historic and creative region. Named for Doylestown’s most famous son—the Pulitzer Prize- winning writer and supporter of the arts — the Museum has expanded its role significantly from a modest facility with a locally derived mission to an accredited institution serving the Delaware River Valley. The Museum is fully accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
MISSION The Museum collects, preserves, interprets, and exhibits primarily American art, and promotes the Delaware River Valley region’s rich artistic and cultural heritage, with a particular focus on artists of Bucks County. The Museum presents exhibitions that explore a variety of artistic expressions and offers diverse educational programs that develop a lifelong involvement in the arts.
COLLECTION The Museum has built a reputation as a study center for the artistic tradition of the Delaware Valley, with a growing permanent collection that contains some of the finest examples of Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings in public hands. A significant gift of nearly 100 paintings from the collection of Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest is the centerpiece of a collection of over 3,500 works that examine the Delaware Valley landscape and also includes modern and contemporary art, as well as outdoor sculpture, studio craft furniture, and decorative arts. The Museum actively expands its holdings in contemporary painting, photography, sculpture, works on paper and decorative arts. In addition, it houses the papers of many Delaware Valley artists, archives related to many writers and performing artists who made their homes and studios nearby, and an extensive collection of photographs documenting the county’s art and theater tradition.
THE FACILITY Located in a former prison, the Museum is part of the Doylestown historic district. Four major renovations have transformed the site into a 60,000-square-foot space with a landscaped courtyard, an outdoor sculpture garden and terrace in the original prison yard, conference facilities, a museum shop and café, and the George Nakashima Reading Room. The Museum raised more than $10 million in 2008-09 to realize a 5,500-square-foot special exhibition gallery, The Martin Wing, which includes preparation areas and collection storage. The award-winning Edgar N. Putman Event Pavilion, an all-glass structure, was added in 2012.
EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMS The Michener offers a robust schedule of changing exhibitions and permanent collection installations with complementary public programs, including lectures, artists conversations, gallery talks, artist studio tours, dance and music performances, and family-themed activities. Recent exhibitions include Charles Sheeler: Fashion, Photography, and Sculptural Form; Daring Design: The Impact of Three Women on Wharton Esherick’s Craft; and Impressionism to Modernism: The Lenfest Collection at the Michener. The Museum offers art classes for children and adults, including instruction in drawing, painting, sculpting, and printmaking, and visual learning, and the Museum welcomes thousands of school students each year.
