The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art officially named a new executive director Thursday after searching for more than a year to fill the position.
Jill Hartz, the former director of the University of Virginia Art Museum for 10 years, will begin full time at the University in August, she said.
Interim Director Robert Melnick, who has held the position since January 2007, said Hartz stood out to the University search committee because of her commitment and experience in working both with University and outside community members on and off campus.
“We wanted someone who understood the academic mission on campus and the community mission off campus,” said Melnick.
Hartz said she is excited to start at her new position after leaving the museum in Virginia last December. She said the administration at the University of Virginia wanted to focus their museum more academically, but she wanted to keep more of a connection with the community.
Hartz said she already has many plans for the University’s Museum of Art, or JSMA.
“I’m not the kind of person who can come in and just maintain things how they are,” Hartz said. “I like to see how I can make things better.”
Initially, Hartz plans to try to restore faculty and community trust in the museum by bringing all the people who have a stake in the museum together to work collaboratively and move it forward.
In June 2007 the University moved the museum’s oversight from the Office of the Provost to University Advancement, surprising some of the University community who thought that because the museum served an academic mission, it should report to an academically focused administration, said Allan Price, vice president of University Advancement who was ultimately responsible for hiring the new museum director.
Several search committee members said they were looking for a candidate who could create a vision for the museum that would successfully incorporate both the academic side of the museum’s mission and the outside community, which is University Advancement’s area of focus.
Price said his office works to enable the museum to “be successful in fulfilling its mission.
“We have run a process that resulted in selecting a candidate that was best for the position,” said Price.
Hartz said she doesn’t foresee the University changing the museum’s oversight back to the provost’s office right away, but that it doesn’t really matter where the oversight is because JSMA is still a teaching museum regardless. She added that at some point she and the administration will look at the oversight again and re-examine if it is in the appropriate place.
The museum will begin the process of re-accreditation through the American Association of Museums Accreditation Commission this December. Hartz said this process comes at an advantageous time, as she will be bringing people together to create a new strategic plan along with the accreditation process.
Several search committee members said they were thrilled to bring Hartz to the position.
“We all thought that she was somebody who could move across all our disciplines, and sees all the opportunities to connect the academics … (creating) real potential for collaboration,” said Frances Bronet, dean of the architecture school and search committee member. “Everybody’s desires were met.”
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