Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art ANNUAL REPORT 2008 – 2009 China
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1223 University of Oregon ordan Schnitzer Museum of Art Eugene, OR 97403–1223 J annual report 2008–09 Street address: 1430 Johnson Lane, Eugene, OR 97403 On the University of Oregon Campus Phone: (541) 346-3027 Fax: (541) 346-0976 Website: http://jsma.uoregon.edu/ Kang, Ik-Joong, Korean, b. 1960. Happy Buddha, 2007. Crayon and tempera on pine board with Envirotex Lite polymer coating, 30 x 30 x 2 inches. From the James and Haya Wallace Purchase Fund. 2008:13.1. Courtesy of the artist and the Kang Collection Front cover: Iwami Reika, Japanese, b. 1927. Song of the Sea C. 1983. Woodblock print, 27 ½ x 27 ¼ inches. Gift of Yoko McClain. 2008:21.32. © Iwami Reika Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art ANNUAL REPORT 2008 – 2009 China. Decorated Jar, Majiayao Culture, Banshan Phase, Neolithic period, ca. 3rd millennium BCE. Painted earthenware, 14 ½ inches high. Gift of James and Barbara Walker in Honor of the Museum’s 75th Anniversary. 2008:27.1. Photo by Richard Gehrke Elsa Mora, Cuban, b. 1971. Perda do Sentido (Loss of Reason), 2000. Ink pigment print, ed. 8/25, 12 x 13 ¼ inches. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Irwin R. Berman. 2008:11.5. © Elsa Mora Previous Page: Yang Yongliang, Chinese, b. 1971. Heavenly City, #1, 2008. Inkjet print on Epson paper, 2 ed. 1/7, 50 x 30 inches. Acquisition Fund Purchase. 2008:28.2. Courtesy of the artist and LIMN Gallery, San Francisco The Year in Review There is always an element of uncertainty when a museum art as a bridge between cultures for the purpose of build- chooses a new director and a new director chooses a museum. ing understanding and peace. It was a noble vision and Qualifications aside, is it a good match? Are the museum’s remains an enduring commitment. challenges, the director’s interests, and the community’s This museum has stood the test of time. With hundreds values in alignment? For an art museum at a major research of steadfast and new friends we celebrated our 75th anni- university, are the expectations of the academy attainable? Is versary this year! The timing was, indeed, fortuitous for there a proper balance between that academic mission and me. Preparing for the birthday celebration, which included service to the community, from K-12 education and lifelong a special exhibition drawn from the collection, a new learning to cultural and civic partnerships? collections highlights publication, and celebratory events For those of us who have chosen a career in univer- offered me a crash course in the museum, from its history sity museum administration, the opportunity to bridge to its generous and hard-working supporters. communities and cultures and enhance learning through the visual arts is a passion. Leading such a major univer- sity art museum—major in terms of both its physical size Setting Goals: Mission, Planning, and Restructuring and the importance of its collections—is both rewarding Since reopening the museum in 2005—at double its previ- and challenging. The search for faculty members—even ous size—the museum staff has dedicated itself to operating beyond the usual suspects in the arts—whose research and at the highest standards despite little growth in its numbers. teaching can be enriched and expanded through a museum The lack of an experienced museum director for more than interface is invigorating, and the resulting collaborations two years meant that much of 2008–09 was spent defining can, at their best, transform our understanding of our baseline operations and staff expertise and then determin- world. For University of Oregon students, our first constit- uency, we have the charge to train future generations, not Leadership Council President Lee Michels speaks with a student in a Japanese print class held in the JSMA’s Gilkey Center. Photo by Debbie just in art appreciation, but in world citizenship. Finding Williamson-Smith. new ways to keep the museum relevant and inspiring is at the heart of all we do. The past year has been exciting and invigorating for all of us associated with the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. It has been a year of assessment: Why are we doing what we’re doing and how do we judge success? At the same time as we’ve been refining and revising our course, we’ve also been laying the groundwork for our re-accreditation application to the American Association of Museums, due in August 2010. For me, this year has focused first on learning about the museum’s history, staff, and collections, the university’s goals and strengths, and our community of supporters. From our distinguished founder, Gertrude Bass Warner, we inherited an obligation to acquire and present the finest examples of art from around the world and to make those objects matter to people on- and off-campus. Warner saw 3 ing what might be possible. It became apparent that with the re-accreditation deadline looming, priorities and strate- gies had to be identified and pursued quickly. Fortunately, prior to my arrival, the university’s leader- ship, interim director Robert Melnick, and the museum’s previous advisory board created a new Leadership Council for the JSMA that reflects our on- and off-campus constit- uencies. This year the Council’s Long-range Planning Committee, under the able leadership of Greg Fitz-Gerald Carl Hall, American, 1924–1996. Eight Eggs, 1959. Oil on masonite, and Kurt Neugebauer, the museum’s associate director 52 1/8 x 49 inches. Gift of the Estate of William Mitchell. 2009:2.1. of administration and exhibitions, worked closely with Photo by Richard Gehrke the staff to draft a new mission and long-range plan, drawing input from faculty, students, UO administrators, JSMA Welcomes Planned Gifts and community members at numerous stages throughout the process. Our new mission, values, and strategies are presented on page 14 of this report. The Legacy of The strategy sections form the headings of the long-range plan, which covers a five-year period and begins with the William Mitchell projects necessary for re-accreditation. The plan also details “Bill Mitchell frequently gathered people from finance, who is responsible for completing the assignment (in many cases the tasks are ongoing), others involved, resources business and the arts to his home with no particular needed, deadlines, and criteria for judging success. Progress agenda beyond sharing fine wines and friendships,” will be evaluated monthly at senior staff meetings and quar- terly with the Long-range Planning Committee, which will recalls Larry Fong, Curator of Regional and American Art also help manage the re-accreditation process. at the JSMA. “His approach to collecting was similar, with Prior to my arrival, President Frohnmayer moved the a determination to develop relationships with artists and museum’s reporting line from that of the Senior Vice President and Provost to the Vice President of Advancement, gallerists. Since Bill planned for his art collection to be a move that concerned many faculty members who worried donated to the JSMA, whenever he saw an appealing that the museum would no longer meet its academic obli- gations. Reporting first to Allan Price and then to Michael piece at the Karin Clarke or White Lotus galleries in Redding in the restructured University Relations area, I Eugene he would call or arrange for the gallery to and the museum have benefited from their strong support contact us about his most recent discovery to determine and advocacy. In fact, our collaborations with departments, faculty, and students have never been stronger. It is likely if the artwork was also fitting for our collection. It’s not that a joint reporting system, reflecting the museum’s new surprising to view one of his artworks in the Schnitzer mission of serving both academic and public audiences, Gallery of American and Regional Art.” will be implemented soon. “The JSMA is deeply grateful to William Mitchell (1925–2006) for his lifetime participation and planned Planning for Re-Accreditation Ten years ago, when the museum was last accredited, the giving commitment to the museum,” says Executive reviewers identified two areas of concern—our facility and Director Jill Hartz. “We are also deeply appreciative of the level of curatorial staffing. With the recent renovation his financial bequest, which provides essential operating and expansion, made possible with the great generosity of the state of Oregon, numerous private donors, and the support for the Museum’s exhibitions and public university, the museum has become a state-of-the-art facil- programs.” ity for the exhibition, storage, and interpretation of its the collection and the university, his research into artists collections and exhibitions. From our loading dock and of the Pacific Northwest, including Carl Morris and Morris freight elevator to our expanded storage and new design, Graves, his mentoring of students, and his fresh ideas for photography, mount-making, and shop areas, we are well exhibitions and re-installations of the collection are garner- equipped to support the care and presentation of art. Our ing welcome attention and support. 20,000 square feet of galleries, new children’s interactive Charles Lachman, the museum’s former part-time gallery, art studio, reception and lecture spaces, café and curator of Asian art, made the decision this year to return shop are the envy of many university museums and allow to full-time teaching in the Department of Art History, us to provide a full range of experiences to an increasingly and his presence is sorely missed. Recognizing the impor- diverse audience. With the reworking of our driveway to tance of having a full-time curator of its Asian collec- accommodate large trucks and a few maintenance renova- tions—approximately three-quarters of our holdings—the tions, we will meet, if not exceed, accreditation standards.