In the months after Elizabeth “Lisa” Goddard was appointed acting executive director of the Newport Art Museum and Art Association, she endured many sleepless nights.
Goddard had been on the museum’s board of directors when she was asked to fill in after the previous director departed abruptly in 2008. At the time, the museum was grappling with a mountain of debt left over from a major renovation project.
While she had some experience working with nonprofits, the printmaker, painter and art teacher didn’t hold the advanced degrees usually required of someone running an art museum. And she had little notion about finances and spreadsheets.
In the early days, Goddard spent nearly every waking hour at the Bellevue Avenue museum, overseeing dozens of staff members and volunteers, three buildings, a $1.5 million budget, exhibits and art classes. At home, worries about whether she could do it kept her up at night.
“It was a big challenge for me,” Goddard said.
Nearly two years later, Goddard has not only managed to hold things together at the museum, the self-described “nontraditional candidate” for executive director was appointed to the position permanently in September.
The financial changes have been significant since Goddard stepped into the role in 2008 and immediately looked for areas to improve the organization’s efficiency.
She has consolidated the jobs of certain consultants, eliminating others. She had to lay off some employees.
Goddard attempted to squeeze all she could out of the marketing budget, reducing the number of mailings from four or five in a three-month period to one, for instance.
And she has placed a renewed focus on fundraising and grant writing.
“We had to pay close attention to the business of running a museum, a school as well as historic preservation,” Goddard said.
Reluctant to take the interim job in the first place, Goddard says she never intended to stay on permanently. While the museum board searched nationally for qualified candidates, board members asked her to put her name in for consideration.
Initially, she wanted to return to the “serene life” she had before leading the museum, she said. “But I gradually fell in love with the position.”
It hasn’t been exactly easy since.
The economy has wreaked havoc on fundraising efforts, as it has with many nonprofits. The annual fundraising drive has brought in fewer dollars.
“People are being more strategic and careful about whom they give to,” Goddard said.
Goddard believes tourism is a growth area for the museum. That’s why it is partnering with the nearby Redwood Library, Newport Historical Society and Newport Restoration Foundation, branding their section of Bellevue Avenue – at the opposite end from the famous mansions – as the “old quarter.”
Another of Goddard’s initiatives: attract a 40-and-under age group to the museum. The Newport Art Museum has also launched a Facebook page.
“We’re looking to the future,” she said.
Goddard is also looking to be more accessible. She has been holding monthly brown-bag lunches with museum members in a search for fresh ideas and feedback.
“Much of what I’m doing is trying to be inclusive,” Goddard said. “I’m making a big effort to be available, to get to know people on a first-name basis.” •
