Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) Director of Museums

POSITION DESCRIPTION July 2015

The Board of Trustees seeks an internationally experienced arts visionary to bring forth the full potential of the DE YOUNG and the LEGION OF HONOR as leaders among encyclopedic fine arts museums worldwide.

Counted among the top five museums in North America by membership and attendance, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (www.FAMSF.org ) is comprised of the de Young and the Legion of Honor and has benefitted from the leadership of three outstanding Directors in the last 28 years. Harry Parker stewarded the museum through a literal seismic change after the Loma Prieta earthquake necessitated renovation of the Legion and building of the new de Young. John Buchanan managed FAMSF through the launch of the de Young, and was an evangelist for art who produced outstanding membership figures and record-breaking attendance. Colin Bailey brought to the museums his strong sense of curatorial excellence and scholarship. In this period, the Board of Trustees focused sequentially on funding and managing huge building projects, cultivating new audiences for the two refreshed museums and their collections, and building a regional, national and international reputation for FAMSF as a whole. These tasks now accomplished or well underway, the Board has turned to strengthening FAMSF’s infrastructure by adopting best practices for museum management and governance. The effort is being led by Board Members Carl Pascarella (previously President & CEO of Visa USA and Visa International), and Jack Calhoun (previously Global President of Banana Republic) who were each appointed to the task by Board President Diane B. Wilsey. This team is working hard to ensure that FAMSF can be a leading example of good governance for other leading museums internationally. Simultaneously, the Board and its President has embarked on the search for a new Director of Museums , who will: • Drive the arts, exhibitions, education and public programming vision of the de Young and the Legion of Honor, drawing audiences from residents and visitors to the Bay Area based on exhibition and programming excellence; • Strengthen collections, and the research and conservation thereof; • Collaborate with Board members to embed museum best-practices into FAMSF’s governance and management culture; and • Position FAMSF as an international leader among encyclopedic fine arts museums. All professional staff report to the Director through department heads for: Curatorial Affairs, Advancement & Engagement, Education & Public Programs, and Human Resources. A Deputy Director with the role of Chief Operating Officer also reports to the Director, and supervises infrastructure required to operate FAMSF, including: Technology, Facilities & Operations, Communications, and Budget & Finance. This organizational structure has been designed to reflect museum best practices for like institutions, and the Board anticipates that the Director might make adjustments. The Director is responsible for: setting the highest standards of professionalism across all departments of the museum; ensuring that exhibitions and programs are embraced by a diverse public and are of scholarly merit; driving attendance by people of all ages and backgrounds;

maintaining and enhancing FAMSF’s world-class facilities; acquiring top-tier works relevant to the collection; assuring that FAMSF is a leader in conservation best practices; and ensuring that FAMSF is financially strong and professionally managed. The Director must be a student of, and an active contributor to, the modern museum field. She or he is expected to shape strategies with reference to the continuing evolution of the visual arts sector, and must have insight into how new media, information technology and other tools can be leveraged to reach and engage new audiences. Innovative practice is particularly important to FAMSF given its place in the heart of the tech-savvy and entrepreneurial San Francisco Bay Area. The Director will chart a long-term vision for FAMSF, making the Legion of Honor and the de Young central to the cultural life of the Bay Area and a must-visit institution in the global landscape of art museums.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE Particularly relevant to the Director’s success will be qualifications in four areas:

MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP • Strategy: An ability to continually refine the mission of the Legion, the de Young and the institution as a whole; revise and refine the Museum’s strategic plan as needed; ensure that policies are consistently implemented and that exhibitions, collections and programs are aligned with FAMSF’s arts mission; • Team building : Can build and sustain a high-functioning management team committed to financial stability, with a culture people want to work in; a good listener and strategist; comfortable receiving input from many sources and able to formulate disparate information into a sound, well-organized plan; able to work collaboratively and build partnerships both internally and externally; open to new ideas - innovative, flexible with an ability to balance risk and return; • Innovation: Must remain updated on the latest developments in museum best practices internationally, with a strong understanding of the use of technology, media and other tools to communicate, manage, drive attendance, etc.; • Financial Strength: Must have a strong sense of fiscal discipline and controls; an ability to connect ends with means, and an understanding of the short and long term financial implications of financial decisions related to exhibitions, collections, facilities and the use of new technologies. • Operations and Infrastructure: Working with a COO, provide for intelligent use of existing resources across two museums; experience managing a team that sustains the highest quality of museum facilities, including physical security for the art and for museum patrons; a track record of delivering exceptional experience for visitors, patrons, living artists, collectors and colleagues in the field; hire, supervise, motivate and evaluate staff, ensuring that overall staffing is appropriate to meet the organization’s goals. • Government Relations: Work closely with the Fine Arts Museums Foundation (endowment and acquisition funds) and the Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums (the Museums’ primary fiscal agent for private operating funds), and cultivate a mutually- supportive relationship with the leaders of San Francisco city government.

ARTS LEADERSHIP : EXHIBITIONS , COLLECTIONS AND EDUCATION • Credibility: A strong understanding of the art historical significance of the permanent collection, its strengths and weaknesses, and of the collections of museums and collectors from around the world; networked and respected among experts in the field, including curators, gallerists, auction houses, artists, appraisers and collectors; an ability to ensure that FAMSF’s reputation for scholarship and innovation 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 high visibility and credibility in the art world regionally, nationally and internationally to help identify and secure important exhibitions; a track record of 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 FAMSF’s collection through careful acquisitions; direct and participate in locating/selecting works of art for inclusion in the collection; develop relationships with collectors that may lead to appropriate gifts; identify funds and seek donors to support acquisitions; must be up-to- date on legal practices in the museum world, especially those affecting collections; • Education & Public Programs: Knowledge of different interpretive and educational approaches for the visual arts that engage and excite the public; an understanding of educational technologies, materials & tools, docent training & tours, school programs, use of partnerships and alliances, etc, with the object of enhancing FAMSF’s reputation as an education and programming leader in international museum circles; • People: Knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of current FAMSF 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 • Evangelizing for the Museum: Serve as an articulate, passionate and persuasive spokesperson for the Museums; represent FAMSF to all of its constituencies, funders, the public, government and private agencies, and the local, national and international media; • 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; • 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; an understanding of how intelligence on attendance, ticket sales and such can be positively exploited to drive new revenue.

MARKETING AND AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT • Audience Development: Is passionate about engaging both new and exiting 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 to marketing, advertising and all communications; makes impactful marketing and branding an organizational priority; • Engagement: Provides exciting experiences for a broad audience so that FAMSF is top of mind as a unique, not to be missed experience;

QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS The ideal candidate will have the following experience and attributes: • Senior-level management and leadership responsibility in a museum known for exhibition, curatorial, education and public programming excellence; • A track record of developing exciting exhibitions of scholarly merit that are also embraced by the public: strong experience in building and shaping collections; a background working with scholars and curators of the highest caliber, either through the Director’s own work or as an active and valued collaborator; experience in enhancing the curatorial and conservation stature of institutions is desirable; • Experience in building embrace that is expressed in attendance, ticket sales, membership and donor and government funding support; • Measurable and successful results in raising funds and in identifying, cultivating and soliciting major donors and other sources of revenue; • A record of success in attracting and retaining talented museum staff; • Experience with operations and budgets for an institution of significant size and scope; experience working with Board and staff member to implement best management and governance practices in museums; • A graceful communicator, orally and in writing, who has the presence and credibility to serve as an effective evangelist for FAMSF with a broad spectrum of people; someone that cultivates trust and engages the interest of diverse constituents; • A passion for the arts, yet results-oriented; a hard worker with a high energy level who will enjoy living in San Francisco and relish the many challenges of the job. For more information please contact: Mark Oppenheim (415) 762-2640 or [email protected] Kim Brettschneider (646)762-0818 or [email protected] m/Oppenheim Associates 425 Market Street, Suite 1020 San Francisco, CA 94105

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Director of Museums July 2015

Addendum: FAMSF in Brief

The de Young and the Legion of Honor have been major forces in San Francisco’s arts and culture scene since their founding in 1895 and 1924 respectively. In 1970 the two museums united to form the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (www.FAMSF.org ), now counted among the top five art museums in North America in terms of membership and attendance. The permanent collection is organized into six areas that comprise 150,000 objects, of which 3,000 objects are on view at any one time. FAMSF employs over 300 staff funded solely by the nonprofit entity, with an additional 300 staff employed by the City of San Francisco just to provide security and engineering services. 144 docents support the Museums’ educational mission, and 370 volunteers support various FAMSF activities. The current annual budget is about $60m, of which the City of San Francisco funds roughly a quarter in personnel and operating costs. The balance is funded by earned income (from membership, admissions, special exhibitions, rentals, and store and restaurant sales) and contributed revenue (from philanthropic contributions and grants). As of June 2015, there are 46 Trustees and the endowment amounted to about $138 million. Each museum has a unique and complementary identity: de Young was established 120 years ago in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park by the publisher of The San Francisco Chronicle Michael Henry "M. H." de Young, to bring the riches of different cultures and artistic traditions to Bay Area residents and visitors. The museum is particularly renowned for its holdings of historic and contemporary American art, including the Rockefeller Collection of American Art, ancient Mesoamerican art, the arts of the indigenous peoples of the American continents, Oceania and Africa, and textiles from around the world. As the de Young neared a century of service, it was severely damaged by the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, and the Board of Trustees raised $208 million to fund the construction of a magnificent new building designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron. With more than 84,000 square feet of gallery space, a sculpture garden and vast public spaces, the new museum opened its doors to public acclaim in October 2005 and has been setting attendance and membership records ever since. The de Young boasts substantial temporary exhibition space, a new 300-seat theater, state of the art conservation facilities, and could expand in the future. Legion of Honor is a three-quarter-scale adaptation of the 18th-century Palais de la Légion d’Honneur in Paris that is dedicated to the memory of Californians who lost their lives on the battlefields of France during World War I. The museum was a gift of Alma de Bretteville Spreckels to the city of San Francisco, and displays an impressive collection of 4,000 years of ancient and European art in an unforgettable setting overlooking the Golden Gate. The museum opened in 1924 and operated continually until it was damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake. The Legion underwent a major renovation completed in 1995 that included seismic strengthening, upgrade of building systems, restoration of architectural features, and underground expansion that added 35,000 square feet. The renovation also added six new special exhibition galleries, upgraded facilities of the nationally-recognized paper conservation laboratory, and added new study rooms for printed works and for porcelain objects.

The Director of Museums’ mission is to realize the full potential of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco as a leader among fine arts museums internationally.