Executive Director

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Yellowstone Art Museum Executive Director Search

At this pivotal time in its history, the Board of Trustees at the Yellowstone Art Museum is seeking a dynamic and entrepreneurial Executive Director to provide vision, direction, and leadership with the leadership team for the continued success of the Museum. A dedicated and passionate group of Trustees has worked with the staff to prepare a long-term strategy and have broadened visibility and support of the Museum. This is a unique opportunity to build a cohesive team as the Museum re-staffs after the 2020 pandemic, a year in which the Museum financially ended on solid footing thanks to the generosity of the Billings community, and generous foundations, sponsors, etc.

The new Executive Director will inspire and galvanize partnerships and collaborations within the broader cultural community, along with its sponsors, funder, donors, patrons, and volunteers. Reporting to the Board of Trustees, the Executive Director will be responsible for the Museum’s consistent achievement of its mission, vision, programs, administration, and financial objectives. This natural relationship-builder will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills as well as the ability to work constructively and collegially with a diverse constituency and community. The Executive Director will be responsible for expanding community engagement, general operational oversight, grantwriting/reporting, and annual fundraising, along with the development team, and growing the Museum’s planned giving program and endowment. The Executive Director will also participate enthusiastically in the citywide efforts to advance the quality of life in Billings through cultural initiatives.

About the Museum
The Yellowstone Art Museum opened in Billings, Montana in 1964, a time when established regional museums primarily emphasized western genre and nostalgia. The Museum’s founders chose to focus on contemporary, avant garde work originating in the northern Rockies region. The Museum collects art from all historic periods, emphasizing artists working in Montana and the American Northwest, who were part of the artistic vanguard of their time. The Collection also includes historic and contemporary work that serves as the interpretive foundation for regional art-making practices, or that is influential for the regional artists and audiences. The main Museum includes the historic Yellowstone County jail building, and the Museum also operates the Visible Vault, the region’s only publicly accessible art storage facility. The Museum stewards a 3,500-object permanent collection, curates incisive temporary exhibitions, conducts vibrant curriculum-based art education programs and broad-ranging adult art programs, art-related special events, and an artist-in-residence program. The Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and has a $2 million annual budget and a staff of 13 full-time and 5 part-time employees. The Museum maintains a leadership position among the region’s museums as the largest cultural organization in the State of Montana, and it has enjoyed a steady trajectory of growth throughout its existence.

Mission
The Yellowstone Art Museum exhibits, interprets, collects, and preserves art for the enrichment, education, inspiration, and enjoyment of all.

Vision
Be an extraordinary cultural destination for creative exchange.

The Executive Director is expected to work alongside the Board of Trustees and staff to achieve the Museum’s strategic objectives (promises) and goals.

Strategic Promises
We promise to connect the contemporary past and present by preserving and exhibiting art.
We promise to inspire and educate curious minds of all ages.
We promise to enrich the community through interactive experiences and creative exchange.
We promise to collaborate with community partners.
We promise to be a social and intellectual hub for the community to create a sense of place.

Organizational Goals
Increase Access
Engage the Community
Achieve Sustainability
Preserve Our Assets

The Opportunity/Position Description
Executive Director
Reports to: Board of Trustees

Supervisory responsibilities:
Curator
Education Director
Development Director
Finance & Administration Director
Marketing Manager
Leadership Team Assistant

Status: Full-time, exempt

Position summary:
The Executive Director is responsible for the general management and development of the Museum, including the collections and programs, attainment and maintenance of professional standards, and care of financial assets, property, and personnel in accordance with the objectives and policies established by the Board of Trustees.

Specific responsibilities:

Provides managerial leadership in the development of plans and programs, maintenance of national museum standards, and the development of public interest and support to assure that the Museum operates according to the highest professional standards.
Garners the ongoing financial support from the community and the region necessary for long-term financial security.
Works closely with the staff and Board of Trustees Finance Committee to prepare the annual operating budget. Makes recommendations for organizational change and development as necessary so that the Museum’s financial capabilities are utilized in the most efficient, effective manner to assure stability both now and in the future. Conceives operating budgets with the goal of expanding programs and services for the public.
Works with the Development Director to maintain relationships with donors, individuals, and businesses, in order to expand the fundraising capabilities of the Museum. Builds an endowment fund to provide income for long-term operational security.
Works with the staff and the Board of Trustees annually to review and update the Museum’s Strategic Plan by which the Museum shapes, plans, implements, and controls the Mission it has adopted, the programs and services it offers, and the outreach to the audiences it seeks to attract.
Regularly reviews the permanent collection: its overall focus, its policies of acquisition and deaccession, loan policies, condition of individual works, and adherence to professional standards in storage and registration, to assure the public of the highest quality permanent collection.
Oversees all aspects of staff management, including hiring, supervising, training, mentoring, administration of annual performance reviews, and setting salaries.
Works with curatorial staff to develop the exhibition schedule, resulting in a diverse program of contemporary and historic exhibitions that will stimulate interest in the region, advance scholarship, and enrich the visitors’ experiences. Such program schedules will be an asset to the overall marketing programs, education programs, and visitor attendance for the Museum.
Works with the education staff to create programs that will increase the appreciation and understanding of the visual arts in the region, enrich regional arts education opportunities, engage new audiences, and interest new benefactors. Supports the well-established Museum school and outreach programs.
Acts as the Museum’s spokesperson in all public relations and publicity initiatives. Represents the Museum at various civic meetings, public forums, and social events to take advantage of opportunities to bring the Museum and its programs to the public’s attention. Makes every effort to keep the Museum in the forefront of the community’s cultural dialogue.
Supports volunteers in their various activities to assure enhancement of one of the Museum’s most valuable non-financial assets.

Above all, the Executive Director makes evident his or her love of the visual arts and dedication to the values inherent to the Museum profession and to the specific mission of the Yellowstone Art Museum.

Minimum skills and qualifications:

Minimum MA Degree in art, art history, arts policy, or related field
Minimum five years’ museum supervisory or administrative experience; willingness and ability to create and work within a team-oriented environment
Broad knowledge of American art, developments in contemporary art, knowledge of museum practices and standards; specific knowledge of Mountain-Plains region, American Western, and/or Native American art highly desirable
Connoisseurship abilities
Excellent communication skills, both written and oral
Minimum five years’ fundraising and/or grantwriting experience; the capacity to be diplomatic in donor relations
Organizational abilities
Basic understanding of financial management for nonprofits; minimum five years’ experience in budgeting and working to manage budgets
Creativity and problem-solving skills
Demonstrated ability in creative thinking and critical analysis
Donor stewardship skills
Valid Montana driver’s license

The Museum has an open-door policy intended to ensure that all employees are treated with dignity, equity, respect, and trust. All employees are expected to participate in open and honest communication whereby employees respect input they receive, they listen, clarify, and strive for consensus. Federal law and Museum policy require that there be no discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment because of the individual’s race, color, creed, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender expression or identity, national origin, ancestry, age, height, weight, disability, political affiliation, military or veteran status, or any other basis now or in the future protected by federal, state, and local law, ordinance, or regulation with respect to hiring, promotion, firing, compensation, or other terms or privileges of employment. In addition, the Yellowstone Art Museum does not discriminate on the basis of marital status, veteran or military status, or other condition outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act. In addition to strict adherence to EEO laws, the Yellowstone Art Museum complies with the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Equal Pay Amendment, and all laws relating to sexual harassment. The Museum also complies with the Family Medical Leave Act.

The Museum has embarked a Diversity Task Force to implement diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) in all aspects of the Museum’s work. The Museum embraces the American Alliance of Museum’s five insights related to DEAI:

Every Museum professional must do personal work to face unconscious bias
Debate on definitions must not hinder progress
Inclusion is central to the effectiveness and sustainability of Museums
Systemic change is vital to long-term genuine progress
Empowered, inclusive leadership is essential at all levels of an organization

How to apply:
It is with great enthusiasm that the Museum seeks its next leader. To apply for this opportunity, please send a cover letter outlining your skills, significant accomplishments, and why you should be the next leader, a detailed résumé, three professional references (will not be contacted without advance permission), salary requirements, and a writing sample. Deadline to apply is Friday, August 27, 2021. Only complete applications will be reviewed. Send full PDF applications to board@artmuseum.org or mail hard copy to:

Yellowstone Art Museum
ATTN: Executive Director Search
401 N 27th Street
Billings, MT 59101

No phone calls please.