(Updated, 4:30 p.m.)
PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art will undertake a strategic planning process to chart its direction in the aftermath of the abrupt departure of Hope Alswang, the museum’s former director.
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Alswang resigned in August 2009, and her departure set off protests from the community and board members at the museum. RISD President John Maeda and Alswang have yet to comment publicly on the reasons for the sudden exit.
Details about the strategic planning exercise – who is participating, whether a consultant has been chosen to facilitate the process, whether Maeda is involved, what are the projected outcomes – were not forthcoming from RISD.
The strategic planning exercise is focused on the entire school, and the museum is a part of that process, said Ann S. Woolsey, interim director of the museum.
The museum will develop its own strategic plan as part of seeking re-accreditation with the American Association of Museums, a process which happens every 10 years.
The strategic plan will be released “sometime this spring, after the semester ends,” according to Jaime Marland, the director of media relations at RISD.
There are no announced plans to begin a search for a new director, Woolsey said.
With the opening of the $11 million Chace Center in 2008, a significant expansion of the art museum facilities, the museum drew 150,000 visitors, a record number. The museum remains an important economic engine for the school
Plans are now underway to broaden the education and outreach engagement with the community, according to Marland.
The upcoming exhibit: “Pat Steir: Drawing Out of Line,” a retrospective of 40 years of the artist’s work, will include a re-creation of her wall drawing, “Self-Portrait” from 1987. Working with 12 RISD students, the new drawing, commencing on Feb. 2, will take about two weeks to complete, allowing the public the opportunity to watch Steir at work. The exhibition will run from Friday, Feb. 19, through Sunday, July 3. The opening celebration is Saturday, Feb. 27
