Dear Terry,
        Having been in a university position you write about and having
worked closely with AAM regarding the accreditation process, I think that
the museum/gallery director position within the university is laden with
contradictions.  There is no one answer to your query and much will depend
upon each university community and administration and how they see the
museum/gallery positioned within the university. While this flexibility
sometimes works as a detriment, it can be an advantage in that even state
institutions grant a lot of freedom to configuring this position.
        The college dean that hired me envisioned a university-wide
facility.  The community cooperated and delivered the funds to renovate an
on-campus space which would also function as a community cultural site.
The director was defined to be a full-time administrative faculty position
with a starting rank of assistant professor.  While the position reported
to the Dean on paper, in reality I worked more closely with the Foundation
VP; the collection could not be owned by the state and was, therefore, an
asset of the Foundation.  My position was similar to the one at VCU, where
the Anderson Gallery director works closely as a managerial department head
within the School of the Arts. My interest was in elevating the
gallery/museum to serve the university community and I modeled the facility
on prominent university galleries, such as the Georgia Museum, the
McKissock, or the Weatherspoon.  I believe each of these the director
answers to the provost or president and serves a broader constituency.
        In contrast to these is a model at the other end of the spectrum
(the other end as far as the director is concerned.) Though the name is the
same, I know of several "directors" who hold staff positions and don't have
curatorial or developmental responsibilities. Instead, these directors work
with faculty to coordinate exhibitions largely determined by faculty.
Although many such departments strive to upgrade their facility by seeking
a full-time director rather than having the role filled by a release-time
faculty member.
        Certainly there are advantages to both situations.  The former
allows the arts to take a more prominent role within the community; allows
the gallery to function as a public face of the university; takes advantage
of two funding streams to feed the arts (one academic and the other to the
gallery/museum); benefits from having full-time profession whose sole focus
is exhibitions and/or collections development. The disadvantage can be to
the department who does not have "control" over the gallery, neither its
budget, nor over its director, nor the content of the presented
exhibitions.
        Your position in this situation may depend upon whether you see
yourself as a museum professional or as an art faculty member who is
fulfilling a specific and may be temporary role.  Personally, I saw myself
as a museum professional, although after ten years in the position I
described I am at another university teaching museum studies.  In either
situation, I felt the need to remain loyal to museum standards and not bow
to the political winds of academe.
        Regarding your specific question...I understand your predicament
but I went forward (after my six years and enough publications to butress
my application) assuming that I could apply for and be granted associate
status.  And why not?  I fulfilled all other requirements and simply and
blithely applied as if I were the "usual" tenure track appointment.  I
followed the faculty handbook to the letter.  I was successful in the short
run, but unsuccessful in the long run.  I was promoted to Associate, but
eventually my goals were eroded; a different dean and coalition of faculty
who wanted the prestige of their "own" gallery.  The gallery reverted to
becoming the "property" of a single department (as opposed to serving
university-wide) and the full-time position was lost.  I am not sure what
became of the budget.  While some remaining faculty tout this change in
structure as a "success," I didn't see it that way and left the new players
to their own devises.
        So much of the growth of a university gallery/museum is dependent
upon the ideas/ideals of the people in charge.  You are not staff but an
Assistant professor.  So why not Associate?  I would look closely at the
faculty handbook and proceed as if there was nothing in your way....just
follow the rules for advancement.  I can give you more specifics off line
if you think my "case" of advancement might help your situation.  If the
Dean says you should not be able to move up, then the position should have
been configured as staff to begin with or should not have a rank.  Within
the university, anything goes regarding such a facility.  It is up to you
and to your colleagues to decide how you wish to position the UM-St. Louis
Gallery withing the university.
Anna Fariello


Colleagues,
I have been asked by my chair to conduct an informal survey regarding the
status of the university art gallery director on other campuses. The issues
are; is the art gallery director's appointment a staff or faculty position;
how is the person evaluated; and how does the person in the director's
position advance to higher pay levels?

The job title for the gallery director at UM-St. Louis is Gallery
Director/Assistant Professor and this appointment is under the art
department. However the faculty part is non-regular and the current dean
cannot see promoting the director to associate professor because it is not
a tenure track appointment.  Being outside the professional staff there is
no clear way for the gallery director of advancing within the university
system to a higher pay level.

How is this position handled at other institutions? Any information is
greatly appreciated.

T. Suhre
Gallery 210
UMSL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anna Fariello, Curatorial InSight, Box 505, Christiansburg VA 24068
www.curatorialinsight.com;  540-382-3946;  [log in to unmask]
Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg VA 24061-0227
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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