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Museums director selected for leadership institute
A residential program, MLI is an executive-development course for museum directors and senior executives who are the decision-makers in the museum field. Admission is competitive, and this year 32 participants have been selected from museums in the United States and from around the world, including Great Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, representing such museums as the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and National Museum of African Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Nevada Museum of Art, the Australian Museum, Historic Royal Palaces in Surrey, England, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art and the Peabody Museum of Natural History of Yale University. Coursework includes strategic thinking, finance, negotiation, marketing and organizational behavior with faculty from institutions offering executive education, including Dartmouth, Duke, Harvard, Stanford and the University of Virginia. “Although I have been at the University of Delaware for almost two years and have become familiar with its outstanding collections and programs, director of museums is a relatively new position at UD, and I feel MLI presents an outstanding opportunity to develop museum programs at the University,” Tomlinson said. Attending MLI requires a real commitment and investment, and she appreciates the support she received enabling her to attend from UD, Tomlinson said. The course is highly structured, practical and presents the nuts and bolts of museum practices. It starts with pre-assignments before MLI begins, including a case study of a nonprofit organization and its budget. “Participants stay at the Scholars House at the Getty and are transported to the Getty Center each day for eight hours of classes, a break, dinner and then followed by two and a half hours of study. “I have talked to individuals in the field who have attended the institute, and some have said it transformed the way they worked and thought. One of the pluses of MLI is interaction with other museum professionals, exchanging ideas and experiences,” Tomlinson said. An unusual feature of the program is its creative leadership component, Tomlinson said. Each participant is required to do a self-survey and also submit surveys to 12 people they have worked for and with in their careers. Based on the information, each person receives individual counseling on leadership skills. Tomlinson said one of her goals at MLI is “spreading the word” about UD’s collections and growth, including the Paul R. Jones Collection of African American Art, the University Gallery’s holdings of 9,000 objects and the Irénée du Pont Collection of 6,000 minerals and geologic objects. Tomlinson, who was appointed director of University museums in 2003, also serves as professor of art history and as acting director of museum studies. She works closely with faculty and staff in art conservation programs, including the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture, the Hagley Program in Industrial History and the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. She received her doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and is known internationally for her research on Francisco Goya and Spanish painting. Article by Sue Moncure To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |
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