1978–1988
Director
Neuberger Museum of Art
State University of New York at Purchase
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Brought faculty and trustees together to realize the mandate for the Neuberger—one of the largest university museums in the nation—to serve both academic audiences and New York State residents; as a result, faculty from all disciplines began to use the museum in their teaching, and regional audiences grew in number and diversity
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Repositioned the exhibition and educational programs to establish the museum’s profile in the metropolitan New York area; the impact was increased buzz, prestige, and greater press coverage
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Made scholarly publications a priority; negotiated national distribution agreements
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Launched one of the first twelve museum-school partnerships in the US, and upgraded training for more than fifty docents to support this ambitious initiative
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Uncovered outstanding collections of American, European, African, and ancient art languishing in storage; catalogued, conserved, and shaped them into shows for students and visitors
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Attracted national media attention and engaged campus and community audiences in the acquisitions program with a provocative series of exhibitions called Hidden Desires; as a result, purchase funds for art acquisitions grew, and the quality of gifts of art increased dramatically
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Created an endowment fund with a $1 million gift—at the time, the largest private contribution in the history of the state university system