About American Visionary Art Museum
Renowned globally as an extraordinary cultural institution, the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) is uniquely dedicated to interdisciplinarity and features visionaries of all sorts. From awe-inspiring, massive sculptures to intricately detailed mosaics, every inch of the museum brims with creativity and wonder, offering an experience far beyond that of a traditional art museum.
Consistently lauded as a trailblazer, and congressionally-designated as America’s official national museum, education center, and repository for self-taught and intuitive artistry, AVAM is more than just a museum—it is a catalyst for inspiration, expanding the very definition of art, and standing as a monument to the belonging of outsiders, and our shared humanity.
Located on an architecturally award-winning 1.1-acre campus overlooking Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, AVAM plays a vital role in the cultural landscape of the city, acting as a symbol of the city’s eclectic spirit and a hub for creativity. AVAM embodies Baltimore's tradition of embracing the unconventional and celebrating the diverse voices that shape the community. The Museum is a beloved institution, and engine for creative placemaking in the city - drawing locals and visitors alike with its bold exhibits and commitment to offering a globally-renowned stage for artists to share their own visions and stories in ways that expand perspectives and move hearts and minds. AVAM specializes in original, thematic exhibitions, each one telling a story of resilience, imagination, and the boundless potential of the human spirit.
What sets AVAM apart from even other “outsider” or folk art museums are the Museum’s theme-based exhibitions, which incorporate objects, quotes, and inspiration from other disciplines in the interest of addressing issues core to our shared humanity. The curation of AVAM’s exhibitions is executed in totality of the theme, not simply to showcase the art. Titles of AVAM’s past exhibitions include: Healing & the Art of Compassion; Marriage of Art, Science, & Philosophy; What Makes Us Smile; All Faiths Beautiful; Home & Beast; The Art of Parenting; Secret Life of Earth; and The Great Mystery Show. AVAM’s exhibitions do not focus on art as object, but rather as part of a larger mosaic that reflects and examines issues, ideas, and questions core to the human condition.
AVAM is a museum overflowing with life stories – from the artists; to the thinkers whose quotes are written on the walls; to guest artists and presenters at AVAM events; to the staff; and even to the visitors – whenever someone passes through AVAM’s doors, their personal story becomes woven into the stories represented in the exhibitions. These are stories of resilience, imagination, and the boundless potential of the human spirit. One example of art as storytelling is “Esther and the Dream of One Loving Human Family,” featuring the powerful embroideries of dressmaker and Holocaust survivor Esther Krinitz, who used needle, thread, and cloth to illustrate her life before, during, and after the Nazi occupation of Poland.
Founded in Baltimore in 1989 and opened in 1995 by Rebecca Hoffberger with her late partner/former husband, art collector and philanthropist LeRoy E. Hoffberger, the American Visionary Art Museum has offered a home for visionaries, a wellspring for creative action, and a platform to explore human experiences that draw on Hoffberger’s founding principle that “creative acts of social justice constitute life’s highest performance art.”
Named one of the "Top 10 Places to See Art in the U.S." by USA Today, AVAM has also received the prestigious designation of "America’s Most Original Museum" by Travel + Leisure and “Best Museum in Maryland”, earning a spot on CNN Travel's list of “12 Must-See Museum Exhibits,” and consistently receiving Baltimore Sun’s Readers Choice Awards for “Best of" in Museum, Wedding Venue, Gallery, Tourist Attraction and Gift Shop.
With an annual budget of $3.5 million, AVAM draws 100,000 – 125,000 visitors per (non-Covid) year. It has 56 full and part-time employees, a 13-member Board of Directors, and consistently draws on the support of 150 volunteers annually.
AVAM’s extensive educational offerings provide artistic, experiential-based programs and curriculum for students, families, and members of the public, both on its campus and throughout the Baltimore metropolitan region. The Museum’s partnerships include Art & Remembrance, Baltimore City Public Schools Department of Fine Arts, Arts for Learning, Baltimore County Public Library System, Howard County Department of Aging, and the Enoch Pratt Free Library. AVAM’s Seven Education Goals and Mission Statement are included in the American Alliance of Museum’s book of Best Museum Practices. They have been modeled nationally by other major museums and organizations dedicated to enabling the potential of young people.
AVAM’S SEVEN EDUCATION GOALS
- Expand the definition of a worthwhile life.
- Engender respect for and delight in the gifts of others.
- Increase awareness of the wide variety of choices available in life for all, particularly students.
- Encourage each individual to build upon his or her special knowledge and inner strengths.
- Promote the use of innate intelligence, intuition, self-exploration, and creative self-reliance.
- Confirm the great hunger for finding out just what each of us can do best, in our own voice, at any age.
- Empower the individual to choose to do that something really, really well.
Learn more about AVAM at https://www.avam.org/.
The Opportunity
The American Visionary Art Museum seeks a dynamic leader to partner with board, staff, and constituents to envision and build the next chapter for this extraordinary museum dedicated to visionaries of all sorts. The Executive Director will oversee a talented and committed team responsible for developing outstanding exhibitions, education and creative placemaking programs, and other activities that engage the public through a multidisciplinary focus that combines art, science, philosophy, and humor underscored by a focus on creative acts of social justice and betterment. The next leader will have the opportunity to bring their own creative passion to ensuring AVAM remains a celebrated home and center of community for visionary ideas, art, and artists, and a leading 21st Century cultural institution.
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will provide leadership to ensure that AVAM continues to evolve its strong reputation; drive public and private support; and leverage the Museum’s strong social justice vision to engage new champions and partners and continue to ensure its long term fiscal sustainability. The next Executive Director will cultivate major gifts from individual donors and steward significant past and current donors, while also identifying and connecting with new potential supporters. The Executive Director will also continue to build on the Museum’s strong earned revenue streams and opportunities to further leverage the Museum’s unique assets through fundraising and marketing.
The Executive Director will bring to AVAM the vision, dedication to social justice, entrepreneurial energy, creativity, empathy, drive, humor, and joy that are needed to energize the team and public behind AVAM’s leadership as a creative force in Baltimore and beyond.
With this idea in mind, our client is open to diverse candidate profiles, e.g., leaders from the arts and cultural sphere, museum education and community engagement professionals, fundraisers who have had success in the arts, social justice activists with an affinity for art and artists, and others in similar veins. Top prospects will have a passion for AVAM’s mission, art and creative expression, and a track record of success effectively managing teams and garnering civic and financial support for their organizations.
Main Responsibilities
Organizational Leadership
- Develop and implement AVAM’s strategic vision and plan with board and staff to ensure mission advancement and organizational growth.
- Strengthen team and organizational culture, working with board and staff to recruit, retain, and invest in people, and build a healthy and collaborative work environment.
- Oversee museum operations, including support of exhibition planning, collections care, and policy.
- Understand and leverage the knowledge, strengths, and capabilities of the staff to inform and create strategy. Model core values in interactions with staff and community and work with team to establish norms of work and internal processes that allows strong talents of team to continue to drive success. Demonstrate effective staff development and organizational skills in areas such as hiring, coaching, collaboration, problem solving, and goal setting. Model and empower team members to think, act, and plan in a collaborative manner.
Finances and Fundraising
- Lead and execute AVAM’s fundraising strategy, including raising money from major gifts and toward endowment campaign efforts, in collaboration with board and staff.
- Diversify revenue streams by building and maintaining strong relationships with key constituents, supporters, and community partners, and leveraging the Museum’s earned income streams.
- Manage AVAM’s financial health through budget oversight, financial operations management, and annual audit participation.
Brand Reputation and Community Relationships
- Engage and steward relationships with supporters, partners, and key allies locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally to enhance AVAM’s reputation.
- Drive awareness of AVAM through strategic marketing, communications, and public engagement.
- Advocate for the arts and social justice while building on AVAM’s legacy, including leading future efforts toward museum accreditation.
Candidate Profile
While it is understood that no one candidate will bring every desired skill, characteristic, and experience, the following offers a reflection of the ideal candidate profile.
Top candidates will possess an energetic and entrepreneurial leadership style with a passion for the interdisciplinarity of the arts as well as strong managerial experience. Candidates will have an abiding interest in art and creative expression, self-taught and intuitive artistry, and social impact. This leader should be creative in their approach to museums and be considered by their peers to be a credible, well-regarded colleague. This individual will be able to shape and articulate strategic planning for AVAM and possess superb skills in leadership, fundraising, financial management, audience development, and as a decision-maker and inclusive culture-builder.
The Executive Director must be capable of engaging with a broad range of constituencies, both external and internal, serving as the organization’s spokesperson and increasing awareness of AVAM by clearly articulating the museum’s ambitious goals and programs. This person will be a dynamic advocate and storyteller – AVAM thrives on the stories behind the artists and visionaries, and the new leader must excel at garnering support and resources to amplify the Museum’s narrative and the lives it celebrates. The next leader will be a bold thinker with a resourceful bent and a sense of humor, willing and able to bring ideas to AVAM while leveraging the Museum’s history and reputation in the community earned over nearly three decades.
Education: Background in art, museum education, arts management, business administration, or another relevant field is preferred. Our client is interested in candidates who have equivalent professional experience and a track record of accomplishment in the nonprofit sector; deep leadership experience and success in a comparable setting will also be seriously considered.
The next Executive Director of AVAM will also demonstrate the following professional and personal qualities and characteristics:
Strategic and Visionary Leadership
Top candidates will possess at least ten years of progressively responsible experience in a museum or related educational/cultural organization, with at least five years at a senior managerial level. A collaborative leader with high EQ (emotional intelligence) who has been successful working with a range of constituents to define and refine long-term institutional goals, creating and executing new strategic plans. Genuine and broad intellectual interests and openness to new ideas, thinking, perspectives, and experiences, with the ability to serve as an effective thought leader in weaving these concepts directly into the work of an institution.
Passion for the Mission
Deep personal interest in visionary, intuitive and self-taught art paired with a nuanced appreciation for the evolving role of museums, and a strong desire to be an active voice in this broader conversation. Committed to the intersection of art and social justice, with a high level of enthusiasm for art’s transformative impact in today’s world, and a passion for engaging the community through art.
An Effective Friend- and Fundraiser
A commitment to building bridges and partnerships, with experience in working with other community-wide cultural and educational institutions. Enthusiastic about the opportunity to partner with board members, staff, and other key constituents. With personal and professional integrity of the highest degree, great comfort level operating in the public arena which includes valuing outward engagement, being at ease with people, and accepting the public demands made upon a leader with visibility in the community. Understanding of fundraising principles and strategy with experience building philanthropic relationships. Able to provide high-touch engagement with a range of constituents. Capable of cultivating major gifts from individual donors and stewarding significant past and current donors, while also identifying and connecting with new potential supporters.
Operational Excellence and Financial Management
Expertise in the principal functions of museums and best practices in the field. Experience leading teams effectively (including “managing by influence”). Knowledge of and experience with the funding models and strategies of multifaceted cultural institutions, including private as well as public funding. A strong record of successful oversight and management of finance and operations, with the perspective to consider the impact of decisions and make sound recommendations.
Authentic Spokesperson and Adept Relationship Builder
An engaging, credible, and persuasive spokesperson to a range of external audiences locally, nationally, and beyond, underscoring the role of art and culture to these communities and across the field generally. A person drawn to the opportunity for dialogue, conversation, and engagement with others. An active and sensitive listener with superb written and verbal communication skills. Skillful ability to connect genuinely with audiences of varying levels of expertise, as well as the ability to plan and execute a successful marketing and communications strategy to elevate the profile of AVAM.
Culture Champion and Staff Leadership
Foster a positive working environment for the entire organization, enriching staff morale, and advancing an atmosphere of teamwork and mutual support among all staff. A person who encourages the growth and achievement of others as an aspect of their leadership. Results-oriented with a collegial and collaborative working style. Proven ethical values, integrity, confidence, and collaborative skills with a deep commitment to actively promoting a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging in an organization or community context.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The target starting salary range for this role is $180,000 to $225,000.
Excellent benefits package including 18 days vacation, 12 days sick leave, 10 paid holidays, healthcare benefits, short and long term disability, employee assistance benefits, life insurance, and 403b plan with employer match available.
Contact
Koya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Naree W.S. Viner and Stephen Milbauer of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. To express interest in this role please submit your materials here or email Naree and Stephen directly at [email protected] and [email protected]. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.
Koya Partners l Diversified Search Group is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
AVAM is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.