J. Sanford Miller Family Director, The Fralin Museum of Art

THE OPPORTUNITY

The University of Virginia (UVA) seeks a collaborative, creative, and strategic leader to serve as the J. Sanford Miller Family Director of The Fralin Museum of Art. Together with UVA’s Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, The Fralin Museum anchors a dynamic arts ecosystem within a research university with a distinctive commitment to undergraduate teaching, and in active engagement with the vibrant and progressive Charlottesville arts community.

Founded in 1935 and accredited since 2001 (most recently in 2021), The Fralin’s collections and mission continue to develop in exciting ways to realize the ambition to center UVA University museums as sites for rigorous object-based inquiry; for staging advanced research and new approaches to museology; for framing thrilling and provocative encounters between historical objects and contemporary artists, scholars, and visitors; and for ensuring broad and deep community engagement. We seek a Director who will be able to speak and move nimbly across the traditions represented in The Fralin’s broad holdings, in the context of an academic museum that works with talented faculty and students, as well as with community members.

The Fralin has been the recipient of transformative support from the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and most recently from the Henry Luce Foundation. The Fralin has emerged as a leader in its embrace of concrete actions in response to the persistent lack of diversity in museum exhibitions. In 2019, on one of the strongest statements for increasing diversity made by any museum nationally, The Fralin announced that historically underrepresented artists would make up half of the museum’s exhibited work every year.

The next Director will arrive at The Fralin at a moment of tremendous promise, joining dedicated staff, and colleagues at the Kluge-Ruhe Collection to consider what shape University art museums might take in the 21st century. The Director will have the opportunity to participate in planning for an anticipated new Center for the Arts, which is envisioned to include new space to house the University’s museums. While still dependent on securing state and philanthropic support, the proposed project will allow the University to envision a new home for integrated arts programs in an exciting multi-disciplinary precinct. Among the animating questions on the horizon: How might we best position the University of Virginia to be a leader in the visual arts and the study of indigenous cultures? What opportunities might we have to plan both for our current collections and for emergent forms of digital and new media?

The Fralin Museum of Art

Established in 1935, the University of Virginia Art Museum became The Fralin Museum of Art in 2012 in honor of a bequest of American art and service to the University by Cynthia and W. Heywood Fralin. The Museum maintains a collection of nearly 14,000 works of art, with particular strengths in American and European painting, works on paper, and sculpture from the 15th through the 20th centuries; art from the ancient Mediterranean; Asian art; and Native and ancient American art. Currently housed in the historic Bayly Building near the Rotunda, The Fralin Museum is situated in the heart of Arts Grounds: in close proximity to the Art History and Studio Art faculty of the Department of Art (housed in Fayerweather and Ruffin Halls, respectively), the department of Drama, the Fine Arts Library, and the School of Architecture. An extended closure that fortuitously aligned with pandemic restrictions allowed for the extensive refurbishment and updating of the physical plant.

The site of robust and forward-looking curatorial practice, The Fralin is a recent recipient of a Luce Foundation American Art Program Responsive Grant in recognition of the museum’s Native North American Collections Project. This initiative will support new research and interpretation of the Native American collection to invigorate and advance the understanding and presentation of these artworks through engagement with Native scholars, artists, and knowledge holders. Important work on this front took earlier shape in Reflections: Native Art Across Generations, an exhibition that brought together historic Native American art drawn from Fralin collections with the work of several distinguished contemporary Native artists: Teri Greeves, Wendy Red Star, Lily Hope, and Kay WalkingStick. Another landmark exhibition, The Inside World: Contemporary Aboriginal Australian Memorial Poles, was the fruit of a collaboration between The Fralin and the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection. Presenting 112 memorial poles by 55 artists from remote Aboriginal communities in the tropical northern region of Australia known as Arnhem Land, the exhibition featured work by some of the most respected contemporary artists working in Australia today. The recent exhibition Joseph Cornell: Enclosing Infinity gave spectacular form to a particular strength of The Fralin’s permanent holdings, while exhibitions such as Skyscraper Gothic and Delicate Trades: British Porcelain, Global Connections attest to the crucial role that UVA art museums play in fostering robust intellectual dialogues that engage faculty, undergraduate, and graduate student research in distinctly public-facing presentation.

This vibrant exhibition program complements presentations from the permanent collections, enriches art and interdisciplinary initiatives at the University and in the community, and offers students opportunities to work with innovative artists. The Student Docent program includes over 50 UVA undergraduates. The Museum’s Early Visions program pairs 40 UVA students and 40 children from area Boys & Girls Clubs. Docents design and present individually tailored tours to schools and University students, seniors, community groups, and special needs populations. Fiscal Year 2023 marked the 36th anniversary of Writer’s Eye, where docents and staff led 57 tours, for 917 students and adults. Prestigious lecture series such as the Gladys S. Blizzard Lectures on the Arts, the Weedon Lectures in Asian Art, in addition to public symposia and special events relate exhibitions and the collection to a broad and diverse audience.

The Fralin is dedicated to serving the widest possible audiences and engaging comprehensive visual education to enhance its visitors’ understanding of world cultures. In support of its academic mission, the Museum provides opportunities for study and scholarship through direct engagement with the collection, special exhibitions, and virtual access through digital resources. A Print Gallery and Object Study Gallery provide dedicated spaces for research and study of the Museum’s holdings. The Museum annually hosts its University Museums Internship Class (UMI) to students drawn from a wide range of majors. Student and faculty engagement includes regular and close faculty collaborators from Art History, Studio Art, and Anthropology, in addition to faculty in the Creative Writing Program, in Religious Studies, and well beyond the College of Arts & Sciences. The Clinician’s Eye workshop has been incorporated into the curriculum of the Medical School; all 160 first year medical school students now attend a workshop at The Fralin in the course of their training. In total, each year The Fralin welcomes over 2,500 students from 49 courses drawn from over 20 departments across UVA.

Organizational Capacity, Finances, and Philanthropy
With an annual operating budget of approximately $2.6 million, the work of The Fralin is currently enabled by 23 full-time employees, 3 part-time employees, and over 15 student employees. The Museum has a Volunteer Board of more than 40 community members who assist with programs and provide financial support. As a Central Unit of the University of Virginia, the Museum benefits from certain functions that are centrally managed by the University, including telecommunications, facilities maintenance, utilities, financial services, and human resources. The endowment is approximately $32 million, of which about 20 percent is restricted in support of acquisitions or is yet to mature. Annual giving (excluding gifts in kind and of art) averages $1.6 million yearly including support from foundations and individuals. Annual funding from the University is currently about $1.2 million.

Governance 
The Fralin Museum reports into the Provost’s Office and follows the governance of the University and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Museum is overseen by a 26-member advisory board, members of which impart a wide range of expertise, providing support and leadership to Museum staff. Their invaluable guidance helps to steer the Museum in matters of collecting, strategic planning, exhibitions, and educational programs. The Board also plays a vital role in development, suggesting fundraising strategies and providing fiscal advice. The Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums; the Museum, the Director, and key staff are also members of Association of Art Museum Directors, Virginia Association of Museums, Art Museum Development Association, College Art Association, Virginia Art Education Association, National Art Education Association, Gender Equity in Museums Movement, Association of Art Museum Curators, Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, and the Southeastern Museum Conference.

For more information, visit https://uvafralinartmuseum.virginia.edu

THE ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES
Reporting to the Vice Provost for the Arts, Jody Kielbasa, and working closely with the Advisory Board, the Director provides overall leadership, vision, and oversight of The Fralin and its staff. In close collaboration with colleagues at the Kluge-Ruhe, the Director advances the University Art Museums’ efforts to provide intellectually rigorous, robustly inclusive, inspiring encounters with works of art for UVA students, faculty, and staff, along with an expansively conceived Charlottesville arts community. The Director will bring to the position an enthusiasm for the Charlottesville- and regionally-focused community engagement work of the Directorship. The Director serves the University’s core research and teaching missions in guiding the museum to highlight inquiry, present groundbreaking exhibitions and arts scholarship, and support the formation of a new generation of artists, researchers, and arts professionals.

The Director will have the opportunity to enhance collections, create programs that will engage the full academic enterprise, and design a compelling community-engaged arts program. In collaboration with colleagues across the creative and performing arts units, the Director will play an integral role in shaping a strategic vision for expanding arts programs across the University and promoting interdisciplinary initiatives between the Museums and the University.  
The Director will bring a keen awareness of the critical need for museums to adapt and thrive in the digital age, and a deep commitment to leading the museum into the digital age while fostering strong interdisciplinary practice.

The Director will bring an agile, creative, collaborative disposition to the work of imagining co-located University Art Museums and will actively engage and inspire supporters in all aspects of UVA’s and the museum’s fundraising to enhance the museum’s programming and operations.    

The Director will empower, support, lead, and develop a dedicated professional staff. They will ensure that strategic objectives are collectively agreed upon, effectively implemented, and realized in a fiscally responsible manner. The Director will advance the University’s commitment to Inclusive Excellence, supporting The Fralin’s ongoing work in the area of DEAI internally and strengthen the internal culture. The Director will consistently serve as a visible, accessible, inspiring leader and manager.

IDEAL EXPERIENCE

The ideal candidate will demonstrate a collaborative leadership style, broad vision and curiosity, empathy, and a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, access, and inclusion. The candidate will bring a track record of senior-level leadership experience and the ability to motivate staff, donors, board members, and the broader community around a shared vision. They will be a superb communicator and listener, as well as have an eagerness to cultivate relationships both internally and externally. A Master’s degree is required, PhD preferred, in Art History or a related field. Additional qualifications include the following:

Leadership and Management

• Proven leader of both people and programs; record of strategic planning and implementation.
• Progressive track record of successful, passionate leadership as a scholar and curator of innovative art exhibitions.
• Significant experience in an art museum setting and a proven ability to collaborate within a complex organization.
• Commitment to academic culture, with sincere and informed interest in the intellectual project of the University, and its faculty, students, and programs, and a desire to advance and amplify their goals.
• The leader will have an open, accessible, and transparent approach to management, along with significant experience in building teams and fostering the capacities of the members of those teams.

Strategy and Vision

• Proven record of strategic planning and implementation.
• Experience developing or contributing to an organization’s forward-looking strategy, building the financial and operational support for its implementation.
• Able to create and articulate an inspiring vision for the future of The Fralin, working in partnership with the staff, the Board, and other stakeholders.

Fundraising and Donor Engagement

• An enthusiastic fundraiser who proactively builds philanthropic relationships and enjoys making a case for support.
• Experience building an institution’s funding base, in partnership with the Board, to increase and diversify financial support from individual donors, foundations, corporations, and government funders.
• Ability to inspire a vision and to create plans for The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia
• Talent to communicate that vision to the university community, prospective donors, and foundations.

Collaboration and Relationship Building

• Brings exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building skills and the ability to establish strong relationships in both the University community and externally with prospects, donors, and other friends of the museum and of the arts at UVA.
• Experience as a compelling spokesperson and ambassador both in private and public sectors. 
• Able to communicate superbly and inspire the community through both powerful optimism and genuine listening; demonstrates strong emotional intelligence.

Inclusive Management and Advocacy for DEAI

• Recruits and develops top talent, delegates effectively, and manages performance with accountability; fosters a culture of collaboration, mutual respect, teamwork, and empowerment; and will have the ability to counsel and coach the senior management team and curatorial leadership for success.
• Must be able to create excitement and lead with inspiration, balanced with the judgment to provide consistent guidance and wellness to internal staff.
• Brings deep personal commitment to diversity, equity, access, and inclusion in all aspects of the organization’s work; seeks to build an organization that is substantively diverse and reflective of the community; works to ensure diverse voices are a part of decision-making.
• Embodies a strong commitment to advancing the museum’s reach by leveraging digital technologies and cultivating collaborative partnerships across diverse disciplines.
• Brings a deep commitment to shaping the future of the museum by embracing innovative digital initiatives and delivering new experiences that captivate and inspire diverse audiences in the 21st century.

Further, the candidate should possess the ability to:

• Work collaboratively with curators to establish interpretive goals for exhibitions.
• Show a record of achievement in management, creativity, and business acumen.
• Demonstrate the ability to build relationships and lead collaborative initiatives internally and externally to leverage support for and participation in programs.
• Work with international, federal, state, and local constituencies in advancing the philanthropic objectives of a complex organization.

To Apply or Nominate
UVA’s Executive Search Group, an internal search firm in the President’s Office, is assisting in the recruitment of the next J. Sanford Miller Family Director of The Fralin Museum of Art.

The search will be carried out with full confidentiality. Confidential inquiries and nominations should be directed to Susan Gaines at Susangaines@virginia.edu.  To learn more about this opportunity, please visit UVA’s Executive Search Group website.

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff.  We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person’s perspectives and lived experiences.  We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.