Tacoma, WA

Executive Director

m/Oppenheim Associates is assisting Tacoma Art Museum in the search for a new Executive Director. For more information, please review the complete Position Description.

The Board seeks a fundraising visual arts leader to:

• Manage in-process expansion built upon TAM’s 80+ years of Pacific Northwest and contemporary arts leadership;
• Integrate new collections into TAM’s ambitious exhibition schedule; and
• Enhance education experiences and public programming for Tacoma’s citizens and visitors.

Poised for a step-change that solidifies TAM’s important position among regional museums and exposes the collection to national audiences, the museum requires a leader able to balance a focus on the visitor’s experience of art with fundraising and operating excellence. The Executive Director is expected to increase public embrace and attendance, strengthen TAM’s finances, update the organization’s operating infrastructure, and draw national and regional attention to the museum’s collections and programs.

The Tacoma Art Museum was founded in 1935 with roots reaching back to predecessor arts organizations founded in the late 19th century. As the largest and operationally strongest museum in Tacoma, TAM has cultivated a reputation for exploring art in a way that involves visitors, artists, curators and the larger community in topics of contemporary interest. Of particular concern is that TAM continually improves on its ability to engage people of different backgrounds and cultures in dialogue on issues of import to Tacoma’s diverse communities.

TAM operates in a 66,000 sq. ft. facility (with 19,500 sq. ft. 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 $5 million, a 30 member Board with 6 officers, 32 full-time and 20 part-time staff, roughly 120 volunteers, about 2,700 members, and annual attendance of about 80,000 with roughly half attending at no cost and others gaining admittance through tickets. The endowment amounts to about $30 million, which is comprised of a diversified investment portfolio. The endowment will increase to $35 million over the next years through already committed gifts.

The Executive Director will be the museum’s chief strategist, advocate, fundraiser and business manager, with the goal of making the Tacoma Art Museum a shining example for other visual arts institutions.

For additional information or to apply, please contact Mark Oppenheim or Lee Kappelman at info[at]moppenheim[dot]com.