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Museum of art gets critical review
The University hired Dr. Alceste Pappas to evaluate the direction of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
by Allie Grasgreen | Managing Editor
Art criticism took on a whole new meaning for the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art last month when a Connecticut consultant revealed her highly critical evaluation of the museum to Senior Vice President and Provost Linda Brady and Vice Provost Terri Warpinski.
According to Warpinski's letter to the museum community, the University hired Dr. Alceste Pappas of the Pappas Consulting Group to thoroughly examine the museum in all areas. Her findings were consequential, and the report described them in detail alongside suggested steps for improvement.
"The report is going to be the starting point for discussions with the administrators, the board, the staff and the general public about the museum," said museum Interim Director Robert Melnick. "In response to the report, we're already beginning to move forward."
Because the museum is in its early stages as a campus and community entity, Warpinski felt that the timing was right to recruit an outside perspective.
"We don't want to go too far down the path without knowing it's the right one," she said.
Melnick said the Museum Board met and discussed the report. He pointed out that the board thoroughly evaluated the report before "jumping in" to make drastic changes, but progress has been steady.
The report, now posted on the museum Web site, was comprehensive in its findings: It specifically cites a "lack of clarity of the Museum's mission, vision, values, goals, and strategies," and found that several Board members expressed a need for a specific vision statement. According to the report, several museum employees could not recite or paraphrase a mission statement which, Warpinski pointed out, is printed on the back of their security badges.
To counter this apparent ignorance, Pappas suggested that faculty members "delineate clearly the mission, vision, values, goals and strategic initiatives of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art."
Melnick, however, believes that the museum has a very clear sense of purpose. He said that in theory the mission is to serve the academic and general public, and to educate both the academic and public community on the value of art.
According to Warpinski's letter to the museum community, the University hired Dr. Alceste Pappas of the Pappas Consulting Group to thoroughly examine the museum in all areas. Her findings were consequential, and the report described them in detail alongside suggested steps for improvement.
"The report is going to be the starting point for discussions with the administrators, the board, the staff and the general public about the museum," said museum Interim Director Robert Melnick. "In response to the report, we're already beginning to move forward."
Because the museum is in its early stages as a campus and community entity, Warpinski felt that the timing was right to recruit an outside perspective.
"We don't want to go too far down the path without knowing it's the right one," she said.
Melnick said the Museum Board met and discussed the report. He pointed out that the board thoroughly evaluated the report before "jumping in" to make drastic changes, but progress has been steady.
The report, now posted on the museum Web site, was comprehensive in its findings: It specifically cites a "lack of clarity of the Museum's mission, vision, values, goals, and strategies," and found that several Board members expressed a need for a specific vision statement. According to the report, several museum employees could not recite or paraphrase a mission statement which, Warpinski pointed out, is printed on the back of their security badges.
To counter this apparent ignorance, Pappas suggested that faculty members "delineate clearly the mission, vision, values, goals and strategic initiatives of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art."
Melnick, however, believes that the museum has a very clear sense of purpose. He said that in theory the mission is to serve the academic and general public, and to educate both the academic and public community on the value of art.
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Meghann
posted 2/27/07 @ 12:33 AM PST
Might this explain why the museum people gave us such a runaround when we requested their budget for a public records audit last year?
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