After a four-year return to full-time teaching, Del I. Hawkins will again combine his love of marketing with his passion for the arts, and especially for the University of Oregon Museum of Art as the new director.
Hawkins was named Museum of Art director after current director David Robertson turned in his resignation, effective June 30. Robertson, who has served as director since February 1996, is an art history graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Missouri.
“I’m returning home where my family and other people important to me live,” Robertson, who is going back to Chicago, said. “In addition, I will have the opportunity to work and publish in my field of research interest.”
“David Robertson did a phenomenal job. When we hired him, I had high expectations, and he exceeded them all,” said Hawkins, who served as an interim director for one year before Robertson was hired.
Continuing with Robertson’s momentum will be a huge task but something that Hawkins says he is eager to do.
“My challenge will be two-fold,” Hawkins said. “First, to continue to raise funds necessary to complete the building project, and second, to be the most visible representative of the museum in the community.”
The museum’s $12 million building campaign will more than double the size of the current building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The renovations will be in line with the original plans during construction in 1932, which were changed when the Depression hit.
Besides increasing the size of the museum, the campaign will also renovate the public spaces, galleries and support area. “I anticipate the successful completion of fund raising for this project in the next few months and then I look forward to overseeing ground breaking, and the start of construction,” Hawkins said.
In order to facilitate this massive change, the museum, which draws between 40,000 and 50,000 visitors a year, will close for two years, reopening in early 2003. “We’ll be a museum without walls for a while, which will be a challenge,” Hawkins said. “But this museum is special, and I think the new building will enhance that.”
Hawkins acknowledged that it will be a challenge to keep the museum visible while the building is closed. Backed by a phenomenal staff, he said he will meet that challenge by expanding outreach programs in order to make artwork available for students, as well as maintaining the museum’s presence in the community.
“It’s just very pleasant to be associated with such a passionate group of people; the staff and friends of the museum. There are amazing numbers of people who donate so much time and energy to the museum,” Hawkins said, explaining the key role staff and volunteers fill.
Hawkins will also step down as the head of the marketing department. During his contract as director of the museum, he will also hold a part-time appointment in the business school. He will hold the position of director for 18 months, after which he will retire from full-time work, teaching 1/3 time, and pursue more non-profit work.
“We are fortunate to have such a well-qualified person available to step into this key position on short notice to carry forward the momentum began by David Robertson,” Lorraine Davis, Vice Provost of the University, said.
Davis also explained the unusual decision to appoint a business professor as director of the Museum of Art. “Del Hawkins has ideal qualifications, combining his business and management professional expertise with a strong interest for the arts and the museum’s vitality,” Davis said.
Hawkins admitted that his first stint as museum director was a pleasant surprise. “I wasn’t actively involved with the museum until I became director, but it was addictive,” Hawkins said, explaining his current role with the Museum Board of directors, where he has served two terms. “The museum is a strange beast. It has a power to grab a hold of you and doesn’t let go easily.”
Hawkins said he also believes that the national search for a permanent director will be met with success. “During Robertson’s four-year tenure, the UO art museum’s stature and outreach have grown dramatically so that I consider the directorship will be viewed as a real ‘gem’ of a job,” Hawkins said.
After retirement, Hawkins plans to continue his involvement with the museum, foreseeing a committee position for the board. “The museum almost has a life of it’s own, a presence. Being part of it is a real delight,” he said.