Director, RISD Museum

Rhode Island School of Design

The RISD Museum seeks applicants who demonstrate an understanding of and sensitivity to the complexity of the position and the diversity of the community. Joining the RISD Museum means being a part of an equity-focused and forward-thinking organization that approaches education in the arts as a matter of social justice and calls for candid and responsive collaboration across and among staff, faculty, students, community partners, and leadership. In deciding whether to apply for this position at the RISD Museum, we strongly encourage candidates to consider whether their values align with the museum’s vision and commitment to racial justice.

The Director will foster the institutional vision and artistic direction for the RISD Museum, taking the lead in communicating the museum’s role as an outstanding visual arts institution, and enhancing its reputation and affiliations as a public art museum regionally and nationally while maintaining its complementary role as an active teaching resource for RISD and other area institutions. The Director will oversee all museum operations, exhibitions, programs, events, and collections in accordance with RISD’s mission and the goals set by the museum’s staff and Board of Governors, as well as RISD’s President and Board of Trustees. A key and collaborative member of the institutional leadership team, the Director is both the principal advocate for the museum and a participant in the broader administration and governance of the institution. Additionally, as the museum’s public spokesperson in art and professional matters, the Director assumes a leadership role in the city and with state and regional communities.

The Director is appointed by the Chair of the museum’s Board of Governors with the approval of the President, works closely with both, and will be responsible for inspiring and mentoring a dedicated staff, along with overseeing the museum’s operations. They will lead and support an active exhibition and public programming schedule of the highest quality that seeks to offer an expanded view of artists, making, and history – particularly by elevating voices that have been marginalized, distorted, or silenced – and to offer space for free expression, exchange, and research. They will be instrumental in working collaboratively across the RISD campus and alongside local and regional communities, while also amplifying the museum’s voice nationally among peer institutions.

The Director is responsible for a staff of 78 full-time museum employees, 18 part-time employees, as well as student workers, interns, and fellows. In FY 2020 (ending June 30, 2020), the museum had an annual operating budget of approximately $8.5M (just over $7M from unrestricted sources and $1.4M from restricted sources). This figure does not include additional services and support that the museum receives from RISD in terms of central services, including human resources/benefits, financial management, building maintenance, utilities, security, etc.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/DUTIES:

• Work collaboratively with museum staff to develop and promote innovative, creative, and timely exhibitions and programs that challenge assumptions, open minds, and engage an array of audiences. Build opportunities to produce scholarly materials in conjunction with exhibitions to raise the profile and professionalism of the museum in the field. Provide strategic oversight for the museum’s public education programs and work with education and curatorial staff to ensure they match the mission in their engagement with the public.
• Execute a collections care strategy in concert with registration, conservation, and curatorial staff, as well as RISD’s Fleet Library, that addresses the near- and long-term needs of the museum’s vast collection, including conservation, provenance research, cataloging, object photography, rehousing, on- and off-site storage needs, and more.
• Work with staff to develop a systematic plan to strengthen the collection through careful acquisitions, with an eye to the museum’s commitment of 75% of its annual acquisition budget to underrepresented makers. Cultivate productive relationships with collectors and galleries – particularly those which are BIPOC-owned and/or operated – whose interests overlap with the museum’s acquisition interests and priorities.
• Support and develop the museum’s critical role as a teaching resource. Serve as the museum’s primary liaison with Academic Affairs and the RISD faculty to develop programs, policies, and procedures. Support curators, members of the museum staff, and faculty in the development of opportunities to enhance teaching and learning in art and design.
• Collaborate with staff across museum departments, as well as external partners, to expand upon the museum’s success with developing community-informed programming. Build an institution-wide strategy of responsive, collaborative, and reflective practices that center community voices, particularly those that have been historically underrepresented or silenced within the museum and/or dominant narratives of art and art history. It is important for the resulting programs, exhibitions, publications, and other activities to yield larger and more diverse audiences and membership. The museum must serve as a vital cultural resource and genuine partner to the greater Providence and RI community.
• Articulate a compelling vision to energize institutional funding. Actively and continually cultivate and diversify the base of potential donors and collectors within the multiple constituencies of the museum, collaborating with Museum Development and RISD’s Office of Institutional Engagement as appropriate to increase and sustain programmatic and operational support.
• Manage the museum’s long-term financial planning and the short-term operating and project budgets, working closely with the museum Board of Governors, museum Development and Finance, and RISD Finance offices to keep budgets balanced.
• Serve as the museum’s liaison with RISD’s administrative departments and/or oversee museum staff in this capacity. Keep the Board of Governors, RISD President, and college and museum administrative staff informed of all relevant issues, attending community and college meetings as institutional needs demand.
• Promote and ensure greater staff and board visibility in the life of the city and region, reflecting an interest in civic responsibility and dialogue with the community. Work closely with staff to optimize availability of museum facilities for activities that support this regional imperative.
• Stay connected with and attentive to local, national, and international art world developments; cultivate mutually beneficial partnerships with peer institutions. Remain up to date on the latest developments in museum management and actively support the same for staff; participate in appropriate professional art organizations.