Eskenazi Museum of Art, Executive Director

Indiana University (IU), a world-class public research University in Bloomington, Indiana. seeks the Wilma E. Kelley Director of the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art. Following a $30-million renovation in its landmark I.M. Pei building, the Eskenazi Museum of Art, a crown jewel on the IU campus, has completed a period of significant growth and transformation. The next Director will further leverage the Museum’s expansive, encyclopedic collection, progressive educational initiatives, and state-of-the-art facilities to activate enhanced programming and engagement in a dynamic learning environment for IU students and faculty, scholars and researchers, the community-at-large, and visitors from across the nation and world.

ABOUT THE ESKENAZI MUSEUM OF ART

The Eskenazi Museum of Art, established in 1941, began as a university art collection envisioned by IU’s legendary president Herman B Wells and then-head of the art department Henry Radford Hope. After displaying collections in the Fine Arts building for more than twenty years, the iconic I.M. Pei-designed building opened its doors to the public in 1982 and has grown in its stature and prestige as a preeminent teaching museum on the Indiana University campus. The Museum’s internationally acclaimed collection is recognized as one of the most significant university art collections in the United States and includes more than 47,000 objects representing nearly every art-producing culture throughout history and from around the world. The museum is a pioneer in the field of provenance study, generating ambitious scholarly exhibitions and publications, and advancing noteworthy research initiatives.

Having completed a $30-million renovation in 2019, funded by a $15-million gift from philanthropists Sidney and Lois Eskenazi, and an additional $15 million from the University, the Eskenazi Museum of Art is an architectural landmark on campus. With its concrete façade and Pei’s signature light-filled atrium, the building is cited as one of the late architect’s most striking projects. Its dynamic learning spaces, totaling 112,000 square feet, house one of the most expansive university museum collections in the United States. Embedded among the exhibition galleries, the Museum features four dedicated study centers in the areas of Conservation, Curatorial Studies, Education, and Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, and resource spaces that explore the potential of art-based wellness research and programming.

Its top-notch facilities include a Conservation Studio and Analytical Laboratory with glass walls for public viewing and state of the art equipment for microscopy and infrared reflectography. With the capacity to host guest lectures and researchers, it offers an accessible and collaborative space for scholars, faculty, and students to work closely with the artworks alongside experts.

On campus, the Eskenazi Museum of Art functions in partnership with other arts-and-culture resources including the recently renovated and re-opened IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the Grunwald Gallery in the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, IU University Collections, and the Kinsey Institute. The Museum, with renewed full accreditation from the American Association of Museums granted in 2023, employs 44 full-time staff members, and its operating budget for the most recent fiscal year was $4.7 million.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Indiana University Provost and Executive Vice President, the Director will lead the Eskenazi Museum of Art’s research, teaching, and service mission. They will be actively engaged with the academic community and university leadership to meet the goals of IU’s 2030 Strategic Plan, which includes the development of vibrant and generative academic and curatorial partnerships with the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, the College of Arts and Sciences’ Arts and Humanities division, the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs’ Arts Administration program, the School of Education’s Art Education program, the IU Curatorship master of arts, among others. They will be instrumental in expanding financial support and fundraising potential for the Museum, along with developing wide-ranging productive partnerships and connections with campus, community, scholarly groups, and related interests. Utilizing the strength of its collections, along with its educational and public engagement missions, the Director will generate visibility across campus, activating the Museum as a central nexus in forwarding accessible and progressive relationships with the greater University community, as well as audiences, students and scholars from the larger region, state, and across the nation.

Ideally, the new Director will approach this opportunity with a spirit of inventiveness and innovative experimentation, as well as a respect for tradition. They will represent and articulate a compelling, future-forward vision for the Museum throughout the academic community and greater region, in alignment with the University’s larger strategic plans, while also serving as an impassioned advocate and mentor for the staff, aspiring professionals, and students. The successful candidate will collaborate broadly and strategically with curators and other museum staff and across campus departments to weave together an imaginative and exciting exhibition and program profile for the Museum that will energize and inspire, serving as a catalyst and model for explorative community engagement. Utilizing a solid business mindset, the new Director will be an innovator with a reputation for distinguished accomplishments within the museum field and have a demonstrated ability to advance a clear vision and chart an enlivening path that values the power of connective storytelling to reach new and evolving audiences.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTATIONS

The broad strategic priorities of this position will require the incoming Director to understand and appreciate the larger University context in which the Museum functions and to prioritize advancing the Museum as integral to that larger academic mission. They will be a skilled communicator, able to build productive relationships between a wide variety of stakeholders, and an adept fundraiser that can harness the strength of the Museum’s donor base and further develop additional resources for the Museum including from foundations, individuals, and affiliates. Ideally, they will have a business-development mindset appropriate to the administration of a major university museum and be comfortable navigating the politically charged situations on campuses today with resiliency and diplomacy, good will, and consensus-building. They will be a passionate and knowledgeable advocate of the full spectrum of resources and talents held by the Eskenazi Museum of Art, able to coalesce a coordinated strategic path with cultural literacy and a curious, empathetic, and relational mindset. A commitment to accessibility, inclusivity, and diversity is essential to achieve the full realization of cross-departmental, university-wide, and external metrics for success. They will have the ability to tell the story of the Museum and the role it has and will continue to play in the community in a way that builds a bridge between the old and the new, the collections and “art of the living,” that is unifying, inclusive, and inspiring.

• Provide strategic vision and direction for the Eskenazi Museum of Art, shaping its role in the visual arts across disciplines at the campus, regional, national, and international levels, working collaboratively with the Provost, IU Research, and Arts and Humanities leadership to develop a master plan for campus collections and museums.
• Plan and implement strategies to fulfill the Eskenazi Museum of Art’s mission while ensuring its financial stability and growth. Develop and oversee the Museum’s annual budget and strategic forecasting, actively collaborating with the IU Provost, the Museum’s National Advisory Board, and development officers from both the Museum and the IU Foundation.
• Advance and sustain academic and scholarly relationships that establish the Museum as the pre-eminent cultural center and research hub for intellectual discourse on campus and within the community.
• Clearly articulate the Eskenazi Museum of Art’s role as a vital resource for both the university and the community, fostering active engagement with a wide variety of campus and community stakeholders, in terms of programming, fundraising, relationship-building, and partnership creation.
• Serve as the primary spokesperson and advocate for the Museum in official dealings with the University and its adjacent community interests, representing and serving the academic mission of partner departments, schools, and programs to enhance curricular and co-curricular opportunities to engage with the visual arts.
• Collaborate with museum curatorial, education, and other staff, in collaboration with IU faculty and campus leaders, to put forth significant and groundbreaking exhibitions and public programs that effectively showcase the Museum’s diverse collections and expand on its history of connoisseurship, continuing to diversify the museum’s collections through strategic acquisitions of original works of art.
• Enhance the Museum’s online presence and innovate ways to employ technology to provide the fullest level of access possible to the collection as well as opportunities for visitor engagement.
• Provide direct oversight to a five-person senior leadership team comprised of the following positions: Director of Curatorial Affairs, Director of Development, Chair of Education, Director of Creative Services, and the Director of Administration and Strategic Initiatives. Offer professional development and mentorship, modeling leadership for the entire staff that aims to be respectful, empathetic, supportive, and inspirational.

EXPERIENCE, SKILLS, AND ATTRIBUTES

• M.A. in Art History, Museum Studies, or Arts Administration or related field. Ph.D. additionally preferred but not required. Experience in the arts, museums, nonprofit organizations or related areas, preferably in a major university environment.
• 7-10 years’ experience working in a related capacity in the Museum field, with a pattern of advancement to senior leadership roles. Experience at a university museum a plus. Recognition as a respected scholar in a related area of expertise helpful to a strong candidacy.
• A track record of successful fund development, financial management, and budget analysis, working across a variety of stakeholders and donors including foundations, individuals, corporations, and within governmental and university funding structures.
• A passionate, undeterred, and compelling arts advocate, and an inspiring public speaker comfortable with high visibility situations and settings, and able to adapt messaging to reach varied constituents and audiences.
• A networked and connected professional, with collegial and generative connections in the field nationally or even internationally, and the ability to activate this network to create progressive connections and build productive relationships.
• Emotional intelligence and strong written and verbal communication skills that can engage diverse audiences and inspire others.
• Strong organizational, supervisory, communication, and team-building skills. A collaborative, generous, and curious mindset, dedicated to mentorship and cross-departmental relationship building.
• An appreciation for and understanding of an intellectually rigorous approach to planning and executing exhibitions, publications, and educational programs, within a contextual framework that advances the scholarship, connoisseurship, and recognition of the Museum within the larger University setting.
• Knowledge of current best practices for university-based art museums and management through a relevant combination of skills, experience, and education, and familiarity with the tenets of professional practice in the field as articulated by the American Alliance of Museums, the Association of Art Museum Directors, and other related professional organizations.

Research shows that women and individuals from under-represented backgrounds often apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We recognize that it is highly unlikely that an applicant meets 100% of the qualifications for a given role. Therefore, if much of this job description describes you, then you are highly encouraged to apply for this role.

COMPENSATION

• $258,000 – $274,000 per annum (commensurate with experience).
• The Eskenazi Museum of Art offers a competitive and generous benefits package in line with other major universities, including retirement, health coverage, and a sizeable relocation stipend. Tenure-track and related educational advancement benefits and opportunities are available on a case-by-case basis for individuals with the requisite skills and experience in their areas of specialty.
• This position is based in Bloomington, IN and requires residence in the immediate region. This is a fully engaged position on campus and its environs, not remote, with occasional travel primarily across the United States.