The Meadows Museum is without a director — again. Edmund Pillsbury tendered his resignation over spring break. The resignation is effective May 1.
The move caught university officials and local arts patrons by surprise, as Pillsbury had been on the job less than two years. He accepted the position in July 2003.
During his time as director, Pillsbury is credited for stabilizing the museum and crafting a 20-year vision for Meadows. He more than tripled the Meadows Endowment from $300,000 to more than $1 million, allowing the museum to acquire new pieces and host exhibitions that were previously out of reach for the museum. As a result, attendance at the museum has increased and the profile of the museum itself has been raised locally.
Pillsbury said that he plans to work on personal projects when he leaves at the end of the semester.
A search committee is currently being formed inside the Meadows School of the Arts, which the museum is a part of, to find a replacement for Pillsbury. Until then, Dr. Mark A. Roglán will be the interim director.
“We are confident he will continue the museum’s momentum as we undertake a national search for a new director,” Carole Brandt, dean of the Meadows School of the Arts, said.
Roglán just became an assistant art history professor at the beginning of this semester. Previously he worked as an interim curator in the Meadows Museum and worked his way up to senior curator this past summer.
“This is an exciting time to be at the Meadows Museum. I’m honored to be named the interim director, and I look forward to helping the museum begin to achieve some of the goals set forth in the newly completed strategic plan,” said Roglán in a press release announcing his promotion.
The Meadows Museum has a history of turmoil since its creation in 1981. The museum has never had a director on the job more than six years, and at one point had to have a professor act as director until a permanent one could be hired.
Critics point to the fact that the museum, unlike ones at most universities, is a part of the school of the arts rather than a separate entity that reports to the president. Accordingly, the museum fights with departments inside the school for funding every year instead of having an independent budget.
The search committee has no timetable on when a new hire will be announced.
