Director, Weisman Art Museum

Search for the Director, Weisman Art Museum

The University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, the public land-grant research university of the state of Minnesota, seeks a forward-thinking, visionary, and collaborative leader to be the next Director of the Weisman Art Museum. The Weisman is a dynamically engaged teaching museum and vital institution for the University and the Twin Cities region, creating art experiences that spark discovery, critical thinking, and transformation. The search for the next Director is a rare opportunity for an exceptional leader to take the reins of a well-stewarded institution and guide it into its next iteration.

There is expansive possibility for the Weisman in the current moment. The challenges of the past year have been layered and complex. As the world emerges from the throes of the pandemic, racial and historical reckonings, and myriad cultural and economic shifts, fundamental questions about the mission and purpose of museums have risen to the fore nationally and globally. The Weisman Art Museum is part of these ongoing conversations, and the next Director will find the Weisman leaning into questions of a dynamic museum’s educational and cultural purpose as well as issues of diversity, justice, equity, access, and inclusion and a museum’s role in advancing it. As a teaching museum reporting to the provost of a major research University, the Weisman has a unique role at the center of the University’s mission of education, discovery, and reciprocal public engagement, With this as a backdrop, the next Director will be called upon to lead the Weisman in fully realizing its potential and meeting the moment. 

The Director will be responsible for all activities of the Weisman, expected to work across the University and to provide strategic vision, direction, artistic oversight, and executive and administrative leadership for an organization that serves its campus and community. The next leader will build upon the Weisman Art Museum’s strong foundation, energizing and expanding the Weisman’s scope of artistic consideration and enlivening the fabric of the cultural and intellectual community it provides. The Director will prioritize building new partnerships and programming across the University and also will prioritize engaging diverse community voices, particularly those that have been historically underrepresented in museums and in art history, drawing upon and strengthening the Weisman’s teaching and learning mission. The University seeks an experienced leader with the intellect and imagination to match and fuel the Weisman’s ambitions; an energetic and compelling public advocate; a knowledgeable and sophisticated thought leader; an astute manager of financial, capital, and human resources; and an inclusive and accessible partner to University leaders and faculty, the Weisman staff, and larger community. 

The University of Minnesota has retained the search firm Isaacson, Miller to assist in this effort. Confidential inquiries, nominations, and applications may be sent in confidence to www.imsearch.com/7467. 

The University of Minnesota shall provide equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, familial status, disability, public assistance status, membership or activity in a local commission created for the purpose of dealing with discrimination, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. This document is available in alternative formats upon request.