Executive Director

Museum of Indian Arts & Culture

Introduction

Opened in 1987 to exhibit Native arts and cultures collected by the renowned Laboratory of Anthropology, the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture (MIAC) is a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs and one of four museums in the Museum of New Mexico system. Today, MIAC remains a premier repository of Native art and material culture and tells the stories of the people of the Southwest from pre-contact to present day with a wide variety of exhibitions ranging in content from ancestral to modern. The museum serves a diverse, multicultural audience through changing exhibitions, public lectures, field trips, artist residencies, and other educational programs.

More than 65,000 visitors come to the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture each year, of which 30 percent hail from New Mexico, 50 percent from other states, and 20 percent from foreign countries. It is MIAC's mission to provide cross-cultural education to the many visitors to Santa Fe who take part in its programs and to New Mexican residents throughout the state. It is especially important that MIAC serve the Native communities in New Mexico and throughout the Southwest whose contemporary and ancestral cultures are represented in the museum's collections.

Mission

The mission of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology is to serve as a center of stewardship, knowledge, and understanding of the artistic, cultural, and intellectual achievements of the diverse peoples of the Native Southwest.

Vision

A world that recognizes and understands Native peoples as diverse tribes, each with a distinctive history, culture, and language, and each of which is an integral part of the vibrant, historical, and cultural landscape of the American Southwest.

The Museum of New Mexico Foundation

The Executive Director of MIAC will work closely with partners at the Museum of New Mexico Foundation (MNMF), founded in 1962 to assist the Museum of New Mexico units with identifying and securing financial resources. The Museum of New Mexico Foundation supports the work of MIAC through a myriad of functions and is a key strategic partner in advancing MIAC’s mission and vision. These include:

• MIAC Exhibitions Development Fund: Private donations and grants are collected to support exhibitions, related programming and institutional advancement at MIAC. Sponsorship opportunities and other tools are leveraged to generate support for individual exhibitions such as Clearly Indigenous.
• MIAC Education Fund: Private donations and grants are collected throughout the year to support the educational programs and outreach at MIAC, serving children and adults across the state of New Mexico and abroad. The Native Youth Film Camp is a great example of educational programs sponsored by individuals.
• Planned Gifts: Estate gifts, bequests, charitable gift annuities or gifts of art are tremendous ways to create a lasting impact. The Legacy Society at the Museum of New Mexico Foundation has over 200 members supporting state museums including MIAC.
• Endowments: Supporters may establish a new endowment fund, or add to the principal of an existing fund, to provide a reliable source of annual income that sustains a variety of programs and purposes at MIAC. The Della Warrior Endowment and the Friends of MIAC Endowment are great examples of endowments established in 2021. MIAC’s current endowments are valued at over $1.3 million.
• Special Campaigns: Special campaign initiatives are designed to fund a range of capital expansions and programming advances throughout the Museum of New Mexico system. The most recent MIAC campaign raised $1.5 million for the renovation of the Here, Now and Always exhibition opening in summer 2022.
• Licensing: The MNMF licensing program forges creative partnerships with manufacturers worldwide to develop new products inspired by cultural material and fine art in the state museum’s collections. The most recent licensing highlight was a collaboration between MIAC’s collections department and Mohawk carpets, using traditional Pueblo corrugated pottery as inspiration for new carpet design. Carpet from that new design collection was then donated to MIAC by the company.
• Museum Membership: The Museum of New Mexico Foundation has a designated museum membership program to engage visitors year-round with museums including MIAC. The MNMF Membership team works with MIAC staff a few times a year to create special events for museum members to engage more deeply with MIAC’s exhibits and programs.
• Museum Shops: The Museum of New Mexico Foundation oversees the Colleen Cloney Duncan Shop at MIAC, drawing new customers and engaging them with the museum’s exhibits and programs and representing Indigenous artisans of the southwest.

The Opportunity

The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) seeks an exceptional individual to fill the position of Executive Director. MIAC is a unique institution dedicated to serving as a center of stewardship, knowledge, and understanding of the artistic, cultural, and intellectual achievements of the diverse peoples of the Native Southwest. It is a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs and serves as a national focal point for the study, advancement, and preservation of 12,000+ years of Native American cultural heritage.

MIAC will collaborate with the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs and other institutions to increase visitors, membership, volunteers, private support, and educational programs for adults and children. Beyond collaborating with other culture institutions and state leaders, MIAC requires an Executive Director to advance its own unique efforts to remain relevant in the 21st century. Centered on the $4.5 million renovation of its “Here, Now and Always” permanent exhibition to be completed in 2022, MIAC endeavors to raise its profile to attract additional traveling exhibitions focused on the contemporary impact of Native arts and culture. In parallel with the existing strategic framework laid out by the state, the Executive Director will play a key role in strategic planning and implementation unique to MIAC with specific emphasis on enhancing the museum’s profile across the country and internationally.

Responsibilities

The Executive Director of MIAC is a seasoned administrator with a record of successful leadership of a multidisciplinary museum organization, oversight of a professional staff, and proven resource development. The director will liaise with the department through the Chair of Arts and Science and collaborate with other stakeholders. The director supervises a dedicated staff responsible for the preservation and interpretation of Native American ethnographic, contemporary, and archaeological objects and works of art that represent the diverse Native peoples of the American Southwest and northern Mexico. The director oversees a complex that includes the museum, Laboratory of Anthropology library and archives, Center for New Mexico Archaeology (the state’s archaeological repository), educational spaces, an auditorium, the annual Native Treasures event, a café, and outdoor event spaces. 

The Ideal Candidate

Education and Leadership Experience

An advanced degree preferred from an accredited college or university in a discipline related to the function of the division, including but not limited to Native American studies, anthropology, archaeology, and art history.

Ten (10) to fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible experience within a cultural and/or educational institution, with a focus on Native American communities of the American Southwest strongly preferred.

Significant experience in the management and operation of a similar organization, including exhibitions, educational programs, and public programs.

A positive track record of successfully leading and managing personnel.

Knowledge

In-depth knowledge and understanding of local and regional Native American communities, including those of the American Southwest.

Expertise in fund development, grants management, public-private partnerships, and program development with a successful track record, ideally within a cultural and/or educational institution.

Knowledge of relevant subject matter demonstrated by scholarly accomplishments.

Skills

Expertise in the field of museum management, curation, and museum trends with experience incorporating Native American viewpoints in interpretation.

Ability to oversee budgetary and administrative functions.

Experience in policy development and implementation, ability to devise and implement strategic planning experience in an institutional setting.

Understanding of multidisciplined approach to engagement with Native American, non-Native, and support communities, with a demonstrated track record of success.

Exceptional interpersonal and public relations skills.

Outstanding written and oral communications.

Experience working with boards, foundations, and other key stakeholders invested in the success of a cultural institution.

Experience working in state government, academia, or similar structures

Personal Characteristics

A deep passion for Native American arts, cultures, communities, and constituencies of the American Southwest.

An ability to work collaboratively as a member of a diverse community and make an impact in a complex, fast-paced, and team-oriented environment.

An entrepreneurial spirit and a positive attitude.

Other Considerations

Location                 Santa Fe, New Mexico

Travel                    Some travel

Website                 https://www.indianartsandculture.org/

Position open until filled. Review of candidates to begin on March 15, 2022. For more information or to apply, please reach out to Travis Hillier and Cindy Maloney (contact information follows).  Please note that candidates’ materials submitted in this process may be subject to disclosure under New Mexico’s Inspection of Public Records Act.

Contact Information

Travis Hillier    
travis@penasearch.com

Cindy Maloney   
cindy@penasearch.com

Peña Search       
www.penasearch.com
214.775.0903