POSITION TITLE: Director, Dishman Art Museum
POSITION TYPE: Staff
RANK/SALARY: Salary competitive, twelve month contract
START DATE: January 2015REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Education: Master’s degree required, Ph.D. preferred in museum studies or art history. A minimum of 3 years of progressively responsible experience in a museum, gallery, or related environment.
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:
Ability to provide strong leadership, vision and strategic direction. Experience developing and implementing strategic plans.
Demonstrated knowledge of standards and best practices for museums and galleries or similar organizations, as well as a history of participation in relevant professional organizations.
Demonstrated experience with fundraising, audience development and grant writing.
Knowledge and interest with working toward museum accreditation.
Experience and knowledge of successful curation of exhibitions.
Demonstrated excellence in public speaking.
Proven ability to work cooperatively and effectively with volunteers and in community relations and outreach capacities.
Competence in managing museum operations, including personnel matters. Demonstrated ability to supervise, as well as to work successfully with museum staff, volunteers, and diverse public constituencies.
Evidence of success in developing, managing, and growing an annual operating budget.
Strong business management skills, including planning, time management, and decision-making skills.
Working knowledge of spreadsheet, database, email, calendar/scheduling and word processing software. Experience with Adobe Creative Suite and web content management systems a plus.
Willingness to work a variable schedule, including weekends and evenings when needed.
Applicants should demonstrate their written communication skills in a cover letter/letter of interest, which addresses these requirements and how they relate to the applicant.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Museum Director is responsible for all day-to-day museum operations, and is charged with providing effective leadership, management, curatorial oversight, and academic vision for the Dishman Art Museum. Oversight responsibilities will include the supervision of one full time staff assistant and student assistants; managing museum budgets and expenses; facilities maintenance and security; curatorial and other exhibition activities; supervision of exhibition installation; and collections care and management. The director will develop and oversee the museum’s fundraising and outreach programming. The director will build productive relationships with faculty, students, and members of the broader arts community both locally and regionally. The Director reports to the Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication.
APPLICATION:
The applicant must submit an online application form athttps://jobs.lamar.edu/ along with the following as uploaded attachments: a letter of application, curriculum vitae, and the names of 3 references (with addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses).
Requested items not available as attachments should be sent to:
Dr. Russ A, Schultz, Dean
College of Fine Arts and Communication
Lamar University
c/o Human Resources
P.O. Box 11127
Beaumont, Texas 77710
Review of applications will begin on October 15th and will continue until the position is filled.
Lamar University, Beaumont is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.
This position is security-sensitive and thereby subject to the provisions of the Texas Education Code §51.215.
THE DISHMAN ART MUSEUM
As a component of the College of Fine Arts and Communication, the Dishman Art Museum delivers Lamar University’s mission to the community. Through a culturally diverse collection of art and the open exploration of artistic and scholarly ideas, the Dishman Art Museum contributes to the academic environment of Lamar University, and other communities, through the presentation of exhibitions and the commitment to research and teaching. Located on the campus, the museum is immediately adjacent to the Department of Art. It provides one of the finest collegiate exhibition spaces in the state of Texas with two changing exhibition galleries, a two-story permanent collection gallery, preparation area, and a 108-seat lecture hall with both slide and video projection facilities for Art History courses. (The gross square footage of the facility is 9,419 with approximately 5,000 square feet of exhibition space.) Of particular note, Art History students enjoy hands-on research opportunities working with original works of art in the museum’s permanent collection.
The Dishman Art Museum opened its doors in 1983 through the generous support of Herb and Kate Dishman. Since that time, it has been serving the campus and the community with an active schedule of monthly art exhibitions. The Dishman also hosts special performances and cultural events by renowned artists, performers, and scholars, which are free and open to the public. Since 1983, the gallery has housed a permanent collection including the Heinz and Ruth Eisenstadt Collection, tribal art from Africa and New Guinea, and other collections. The Dishman Art Museum continues to actively collect contemporary and historical works of art.
In 1992, an addition to the facility was generously funded by the Dishman family and constructed to hold and permanently display the valuable Heinz and Ruth Eisenstadt Collection, donated to the Dishman in 1992. The collection consists of 147 paintings, 6 sculptures, 6 display cases, a 13-piece dining room suite, and 252 porcelains, primarily from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As a result of this acquisition and continuing collection activity, the Dishman Art Gallery, as it was originally known, was officially renamed the Dishman Art Museum in June 2004, symbolizing both our mission to broaden audiences and our commitment to the continued development of the permanent collection.
Annual events include exhibitions and lectures by visiting artists, Le Grand Bal art auction (part of the college’s primary fundraising activity), an annual art faculty exhibition, and student thesis exhibitions. Tours of all exhibitions, including the Heinz and Ruth Eisenstadt Collection, are provided free of charge to the university community and to the public. Exhibition spaces and the lecture hall are available to university and public groups by request and according to availability.
