Deans & Directors
In the USA, unlike the UK, with its famed Queens ruling the land, a woman has never led this nation as President of the United States. Moreover, I found women did not hold leadership roles in education or art museums. Although the same may have been said of England, there were signs of change. I had served under a woman, who, as President of Clarendon College in Nottingham, had appointed me to her faculty in 1960.
In this country, ten years later, I attended my first conference of College Presidents and Deans. The National Association of Schools of Art (NASA) was meeting in Los Angeles; about 200 individuals in attendance and only one woman. Sister Mary Rose Ellen represented St Mary’s College, Notre Dame. I got to know her well and served on an accreditation team with her; indeed, I visited St Mary’s for an accreditation visit. Slowly, there were signs of change. I did have the privilege of speaking at the inauguration of two colleagues and friends who became College Presidents: Barbara Price at Moore College of art and Ellen Meyer at Atlanta College of Art. Unfortunately, both their tenures were not long enough; due to circumstances not of their making. Ellen has just been appointed President of Watkins College. Even so, men still seem to dominate in academia?
Within art museums, the situation was the same. When I was elected as member of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) in the early 70’s, the only woman present was Adelyn Breeskin. At that time, she was curator at the National Collection of Fine Arts. She was the first woman to direct a major American art museum; having been director of the Baltimore Museum of Art 1947-62. Adelyn was most kind to me as was her assistant, Dianne Pilgrim. Over the years, Dianne and I have remained close friends; she became Director of the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, now Emeritus.
In recent years, the AAMD membership, now about 180 directors, has changed dramatically; nearly half the elected members being women. Women are directors of art museums throughout the country; major museums are headed by women from the American Folk Art Museum to the Wolfsonian. These directors continue to develop and shape art museums and their missions. In contemporary art, the late Marcia Tucker at the New Museum was a major advocate, with challenging exhibitions and ideas. As I review the membership list of AAMD, I see the names of many more women that I regard as colleagues and friends; these directors play an increasing and influential role in the culture of our times.
In June 2008, Anne d’Harnoncourt of the Philadelphia Museum of Art died; she was appointed in 1982 and was the longest serving and most highly respected of women directors. I regarded Anne as a respected colleague and her presence will be missed; particularly with the Women Art Museum Directors. This group met regularly at AAMD meetings for support and advancement of women directors. In 1999, in San Diego, I was invited to speak to the group, the first man to do so. I was the ‘Mystery Guest’ at their luncheon meeting. I remember looking at Anne during my talk; she nodded as I spoke, supportive as ever or so I hoped.
The theme of that AAMD meeting was ‘Today’s Artists/Tomorrow’s Museums’; dealing with how to involve the artist, who often felt neglected and forgotten, with the art museum. I spoke as an artist and equated the artist with women decades ago: on the outside looking in. I talked about the challenge of art, the need for art, the changing role of the museum, my own experiences as an artist and director. I concluded by stating, “How to encourage and embrace that art of the future, I leave to your expertise and imagination. For decades, women were on the outside, were not museum directors, and were ignored: just as many artists feel today. You are well qualified, and experienced enough, to bring the artist of today into your museum of tomorrow.” To this day, I am not sure who invited me or why; I do know that, during the course of that meeting, many women directors came to thank me for my comments.
Last year, September 2007, I gave the keynote address at the Florida Association of Museums; included under the heading ‘Museums’. At that time, I pointed out that art museums and cultural organizations throughout Florida are headed by women. I also referred to comments by Fred Bell, President of the American Association of Museums, who had spoken of the necessity of having ethnic minorities involved in museums from being on the board to serving as directors to being represented on the staff and as artists. Indeed, for the coming decades, this ethnic diversity and representation will be the challenge and opportunity in museums and throughout our society.