POSITION DESCRIPTION November 2022
Tacoma Art Museum
Executive Director
The Board seeks a transformative executive director to build upon TAM’s 80+ years
of Pacific Northwest arts leadership to create engaging exhibitions and
programming, grow revenue, and meaningfully engage Tacoma’s diverse
*community in cultural dialogue and participation.
*

BACKGROUND
Tacoma Art Museum, founded in 1935 and located on the homelands of the Puyallup Tribe of
Indians, opened a beautiful building in downtown Tacoma in 2003 that features five expansive
exhibition spaces and a permanent collection of 5,300 works of art.
Tacoma Art Museum transforms communities by sharing art that inspires broader perspectives
and cultivates a compassionate future. Named by USA Today as one of the “Top 10 Great
Places to See Art in Smaller Cities,” Tacoma Art Museum (TAM) has developed a national
reputation for presenting art in a thought-provoking yet accessible manner, with a strong
commitment to Northwest art through its acquisition and exhibition programs. In addition to
dynamic exhibitions, nationally touring shows, and historical retrospectives, TAM serves the
diverse communities of the region through innovative programming and learning opportunities
for all ages, including free community festivals and events.
TAM is proud to showcase a diversity of artwork and artists; this includes exhibitions curated
exclusively by TAM curators, touring shows, and explorations of the Museum’s permanent
collection. TAM’s permanent collection features Northwest Art, Western Art, Studio Glass,
Northwest Studio Jewelry, European late nineteenth and early twentieth century painting, and
Japanese woodblock prints. Past exhibitions have included French Impressionism, 19th- and
early 20th-century artists of the American Southwest, Frida Kahlo, Zhi Lin: In Search of the Lost
History of Chinese Migrants and the Transcontinental Railroad, and the Kinsey Collection of
African American Art & History. Throughout the year, TAM hosts free educational programs and
cultural festivals for over 6,000 youth, families, and 60,000 members of the general public.
Since opening the current location, TAM has received two generous collection gifts including the
construction of two additional wings. In 2014, TAM opened the Haub Family Collection of
Western American Art, one of the nation’s premier western American art collections, with
approximately 300 works spanning 200 years.
The second significant expansion came in 2016 with the gift of the Rebecca and Jack Benaroya
Collection of Northwestern and international studio art glass along with important paintings and
sculptures by renowned regional artists.
TAM operates in a 66,000 square feet facility (with 19,500 square feet of gallery space, in
addition to other education and public spaces) open to the public six days a week. The museum
has an annual budget of $4.7 million, a 30 member Board with 11 officers, 28 full-time and 17
part-time staff, about 1,774 active members, and annual attendance of about 30,833 with
roughly half attending at no cost and others gaining admittance through tickets. The
endowment amounts to about $35 million, which is comprised of a diversified investment
portfolio.

(c) 2022 m/Oppenheim Executive Search**

Executive Director
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION & ANTI-RACISM
TAM strives to be a welcoming place where all members of the staff and community experience
belonging. This includes creating a culture that respects employees’ views and experiences.
Equity requires transparency and partnership. A willingness to foster creativity, excellence, and
collaboration is what makes TAM better.
The Executive Director must not only commit to this task, but also perform the work needed to
ensure it is fostering an environment that values and aligns with these efforts.

BASIC FUNCTION
Reporting to the Board, the Executive Director should be an inspiring public advocate for the
arts with proven fundraising ability and a commitment to expanding TAM’s outreach to diverse
and underserved audiences through innovative and culturally relevant programming. The
museum’s leader is accountable for financially strengthening and growing TAM while leading all
aspects of the museum’s exhibitions, programs and operations. The Executive Director is the
museum’s chief strategist, advocate, fundraiser, and business manager. He/she/they must
foster an environment that values differences, promotes transparency, creates psychological
safety, and a sense of belonging for both museum staff and museum visitors.
TAM has a values-based and strategic commitment to aggressively advancing a culture of
D*iversity, Equity, Inclusion, and A*ccessibility (DEIA) at the museum. Success in pursuit of the
above priorities must be informed by an overarching goal of connecting to the incredibly diverse
peoples of the region. It is not enough to have increased attendance, greater funding or a
stronger staff for TAM; it is equally important that attendance reflect a diverse audience, that
financial support also comes from different peoples in the region, and that staff become more
reflective of people of different cultures and perspectives. TAM’s Board defines success not only
by whether goals are reached, but also how they are reached.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES
The Executive Director will have the following major responsibilities:

• Continue building a reputation as a distinctive, exciting, thought-provoking

museum to explore the art of the Northwest, North America and the world through
exhibitions and other programming; effectively manage and expose TAM’s collections
through exhibitions and programming, encouraging curatorial research and innovative
exploration of the cultural heritage of our world;

• Build and manage a high-functioning organization committed to financial stability,

and guide the short and long-term financial decisions related to the museum’s business,
including but not limited to exhibitions, collections, facilities, and the use of new
technologies;__

• Engage the Board of Trustees in strategic planning and key strategic decision-

making on mission, vision, values of the organization, oversight, and funding the
organization’s annual, endowment, and capital priorities;**
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(c) 2022 m/Oppenheim Executive Search**

Executive Director

• Cultivate a strong professional team, understanding staff contributions, strengths

and concerns; through an open communication style, instill a sense of partnership and
cohesion across the organization; reinforce a culture of excellence by adhering to the
highest standards of museum practice; effectively use museum resources;

• Build and diversify contributed and earned income through active outreach and

aggressive donor solicitation; financially and operationally strengthen TAM by stewarding
a development function that engages all staff and Board members in various fundraising
activities; build membership and attendance to ticketed events;

• Cultivate relationships with existing and new key stakeholders in the community

in order to enhance and develop support for programs, including partnership
opportunities with other museums and arts, educational and cultural institutions locally,
nationally and internationally, and with local artists, community and business leaders;

• Serve as an articulate, passionate, and persuasive spokesperson for the

museum; represent TAM to all of its constituencies, funders, the public, government
and private agencies, and the media;

• Provide thoughtful executive leadership that is inclusive, transparent, and

empowering in a manner that supports and guides the organization’s mission and
diversity, equity, inclusion, and access initiatives;

• Continue to strengthen and enrich TAM’s collection through careful acquisitions

and developing relationships with collectors that may lead to these gifts.
IDEAL EXPERIENCE
The Executive Director should have the following type of experience and qualifications:

• Museum management experience or associated institution known for innovative

programming, curatorial excellence, and strong ties with the community;

• Background in collection management, contemporary art, and/or educational and public

programming;

• An individual with a passion for connecting the public with art, who will enjoy engaging

Tacoma and surrounding community members in TAM’s work;

• Proven ability to develop and execute financial strategies; a detailed understanding of

operations and financial management (including revenue and expense models),
particularly in a museum or similar environment;

• A track record of engaging donors, community leaders, artists and curators, educators,

and the museum’s board to strengthen the museum;

• A team builder – confident and competent, with strong skills in management and

leadership; one who understands the subtleties of motivating and directing a diverse
group of personalities with different work styles;

• Demonstrated commitment to supporting the Museum’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and

Access (DEIA) framework;3

(c) 2022 m/Oppenheim Executive Search**

Executive Director

• Experience managing relationships and navigating various social and cultural contexts,

including work with communities of color, immigrants, refugees, those of different
religious traditions, various gender identities, and people with different abilities and
perspectives will be an advantage;

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and strategic thinking skills;

• Strong verbal and written communication skills with experience in public

speaking/presentation;

• Ability to work and maintain the Museum brand values: innovative, passionate, civic-

minded, gracious, approachable;

• A leader adept at planning, prioritizing, organizing and following through; a hard worker

with a high energy level who welcomes accountability; a good listener and strategist
who is comfortable receiving input from many sources; a team player and team builder;
someone who enjoys working in close collaboration with staff, Board and community
members; able to connect with a broad spectrum of community members and partners;
a person with a sense of humor and perspective.**
For more information please contact:
Lee Kappelman
(202) 803-6674 or leek@moppenheim.com
Dennis Hanthorn
(404) 806-8200 or dennish@moppenheim.com

m/Oppenheim Executive Search
558 Presidio Boulevard, Box 29625,
San Francisco, CA 94129-0625

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(c) 2022 m/Oppenheim Executive Search

Job Type: Full-time

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