POSITION DESCRIPTION June 2017 The Tacoma Art Museum (TAM) Executive Director The Board seeks a fundraising arts leader to: manage in-process expansion built upon TAM’s 80+ years of Pacific Northwest and contemporary arts leadership; integrate new collections into TAM’s ambitious exhibition schedule; and enhance education experiences and public programming for Tacoma’s citizens and visitors. Founded in 1935 and with roots reaching back to predecessor arts organizations founded in the late 19th century, Tacoma Art Museum is the largest and operationally strongest museum in Tacoma. Poised for a step-change that solidifies TAM’s important position among regional museums and exposes the collection to national audiences, the museum requires a leader able to balance a focus on the visitor’s experience of art with fundraising and operating excellence. The Executive Director is expected to increase public embrace and attendance, strengthen TAM’s finances, update the organization’s operating infrastructure, and draw national and regional attention to the museum’s collections and programs. TAM collects and exhibits contemporary visual art, with an orientation toward contemporary artists of the Northwest and the American West. The museum’s permanent collection of over 4,500 works includes five areas of particular strength: contemporary art of the Northwest, including one of the world’s most important studio art jewelry collections, and works of Morris Graves, Michael Kenna, Jacob Lawrence, Akio Takamori, Mark Tobey, Rodrigo Valenzuela, Patti Warashina, and Nancy Worden; one of the world’s great collection of contemporary glass art, including the largest retrospective permanent exhibition by Tacoma glass artist Dale Chihuly, the Anne Gould Hauberg Collection, the Paul Marioni Collection, and the Benaroya Collection with important works by Kyohei Fujita, Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová, William Morris, Ginny Ruffner, Therman Statom, Lino Tagliapietra, Cappy Thompson, among others; 19th century European and early 20th century American art, including works by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Imogen Cunningham, Edgar Degas, Robert Henri, Edward Hopper, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, John Singer Sargent, Andrew Wyeth, among other artists of renown; a collection of Japanese woodblock prints, one of the finest collections of such works in any West Coast museum institution; and the Haub Family Collection of Western American Art, one of the nation’s premier western American art collections, with approximately 300 works spanning 200 years, with works by Catharine Critcher, Georgia O’Keeffe, Thomas Moran, Alexander Phimister Proctor, Frederic Remington, Kevin Red Star, Bill Schenck, and Mian Situ. TAM operates in a 66,000 sq. ft. facility (with 19,500 sq. ft. of gallery space, in addition to other education and public spaces) open to the public six days a week. The museum has an annual budget of $5 million, a 30 member Board with 6 officers, 32 full-time and 20 part-time staff, roughly 120 volunteers, about 2,700 members, and annual attendance of about 80,000 with roughly half attending at no cost and others gaining admittance through tickets. The endowment amounts to about $30 million, which is comprised of a diversified investment portfolio. The endowment will increase to $35 million over the next years through already committed gifts. Tacoma Art Museum Executive Director Page 2 TAM has cultivated a reputation for exploring art in a way that involves visitors, artists, curators and the larger community in topics of contemporary interest. In service to this purpose, the museum plans to expand its funding, audience, exhibitions, programs, and services. Of particular concern is that TAM continually improves on its ability to engage people of different backgrounds and cultures in dialogue on issues of import to Tacoma’s diverse communities. PRIORITIES Reporting to the Board, the Executive Director is accountable for financially strengthening TAM while managing all aspects of the museum’s exhibitions, programs and operations. The Executive Director is expected to work closely with the museum’s Board and staff to: Build and diversify contributed and earned income through active outreach and aggressive donor solicitation; financially and operationally strengthen TAM by stewarding a development function that engages all staff and Board members in various fundraising activities; build membership and attendance to ticketed events; Continue building a reputation as a distinctive, exciting, thought-provoking museum to explore the art and material culture of the Northwest, North America and the world through exhibitions and other programming; effectively manage and expose TAM’s collections through exhibitions and programming, encouraging curatorial research and innovative exploration of the cultural heritage of our world; Cultivate a strong professional team, understanding staff contributions, strengths and concerns; through an open communication style, instill a sense of partnership and cohesion across the organization; reinforce a culture of excellence by adhering to the highest standards of museum practice; effectively use museum resources; Cultivate relationships with existing and new key stakeholders in the community in order to enhance and develop support for programs, including partnership opportunities with other museums and arts, educational and cultural institutions locally, nationally and internationally, and with local artists, community and business leaders; TAM has a values-based and strategic commitment to aggressively advancing a culture of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) at the museum. Success in pursuit of the above priorities must be informed by an overarching goal of connecting to the incredibly diverse peoples of the region. It is not enough to have increased attendance, greater funding or a stronger staff for TAM; it is equally important that attendance reflect a diverse audience, that financial support also come from different peoples in the region, and that staff become more reflective of people of different cultures and perspectives. TAM’s Board defines success not only by whether goals are reached, but also how they are reached. The Executive Director will be the museum’s chief strategist, advocate, fundraiser and business manager, with the goal of making the Tacoma Art Museum a shining example for other visual arts institutions. RESPONSIBILITIES Relevant to the Executive Director’s success will be particular qualifications in four areas: ARTS LEADERSHIP: EXHIBITIONS, COLLECTIONS AND EDUCATION Credibility: A strong understanding of the significance of the permanent collection, its 2 Tacoma Art Museum Executive Director Page 3 strengths and weaknesses, and TAM’s place within the ecosystem of museums in the region and across North America; an ability to ensure that TAM’s reputation in the museum sector is continually strengthened. Exhibitions: A track record for exposing art to the general public in new ways while sustaining the highest scholarly standards; must have experience staging interesting, innovative activities, programs and events that engage the public and drive attendance to the museum and its exhibitions; Collections: Able to develop a systematic plan to strengthen and enrich TAM’s collection through careful acquisitions and develop relationships with collectors that may lead to appropriate gifts; identify funds and seek donors to support acquisitions; Education & Public Programs: Knowledge of different interpretive and educational approaches for the visual arts that engage and excite the public; an understanding of educational approaches, materials & tools, docent training & tours, school programs, use of partnerships and alliances, etc, with the objective of enhancing TAM’s reputation and building constituencies in the community; People: Knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of current TAM curatorial and education staff, and of the strengths of professionals across the museum field internationally; a track record building and retaining strong teams of arts professionals. FUNDRAISING & REVENUE Contributed Revenue: Experience shaping strategies that maximize annual, principal gift, and in-kind gifts (particularly of works of merit); a track record working with a Board, development team, curatorial and other staff to develop diversified foundation, individual, public and corporate funding sources; experience with direct solicitation, and with proactive cultivation of donors, patrons, Board members and prospective Board members, inspiring ever greater loyalty and support; Evangelizing for the Museum: Serves as an articulate, passionate and persuasive spokesperson for the museum; represent TAM to all of its constituencies, funders, the public, government and private agencies, and the media; Earned Revenue: Experience converting attendance and public profile into revenue through membership sales, general admissions, ticket sales for special exhibitions, events, retail operations and facilities rentals. MARKETING AND AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Audience Development: Passionate about engaging both new and existing audiences and is a student of the shifting landscape of audience engagement; innovative in approach to the patron experience and can develop partnerships when needed to enhance it Branding and Marketing: Knowledge of branding strategies that help advance an institutional vision, drive museum attendance and maximize earned revenue; adopts new and bold approaches