Perhaps the site hasnt been updated. After the meeting, she sent an email to the docents, writing that she had been removed as a result of standing up for museum staff for the last year, within the Board of Trustees and most recently on record with the AVLWatchdog.org article., Nancy Ferguson, a 30-year museum volunteer and former trustee, told Asheville Watchdog, I was appalled to learn of Ms. Weitzmans dismissal. More than two dozen former employees of the Asheville Art Museum have signed a letter calling for the removal of the longtime executive director and an end to what they describe as a culture of fear and toxic leadership., The letter, signed by 29 ex-staffers, said mistreatment of staff as reported by Asheville Watchdog requires the museums board to do their duty and remove Pam Myers immediately in order to protect the current and future health and viability of the Institution., An online petition also went up Tuesday morning, calling on artists to support the museum staff and Myerss removal, and start the process of reestablishing trust and transparency with our entire community.. Asheville Watchdog now seems to be on a vendetta. Time for an even closer look at this situation. Weitzman was part of a group who had gathered on the second floor to talk when Krider, whom Weitzman said she had just met, said shed like to speak with Pam Myers, according to Weitzman. So we tear down the Vance Monument but leave the Queen of the Glass Palace in place? We refuse to be bullied by Myers supporters., The former employees wrote that they care for the Museum deeply, and it is because of that love for what it is, and more importantly for what it truly could be, that we are asking you to join us in supporting the Museum and not its leader.. Facebook . Krider said she asked Myers about the Watchdog story, and Myers declined to discuss it, saying, according to Krider, Youre in my house.. Open Thursdays 11am9pm | Reserve tickets now. West oversaw the Frye Art Museum's expansion and renovation, which was designed by Rick Sundberg of Olson Sundberg Kundig . As a long term Asheville Art Museum member, donor, former volunteer, former Gallery Associate, and current Adult Studio instructor, I am little more than an outside observer to the day to day operations of the museum so this story has been revealing. This is about Pam Myers lack of respect for her staff, poor management, and inability to be an effective leader. Asheville-born and Raleigh-Durham-based interdisciplinary artist Sherrill Rolands socially driven practice draws upon his experience with wrongful incarceration for a crime he did not commit and seeks to open conversations about how we care for our communities and one another with compassion and understanding. Myers, the museum's executive director for 27 years, declined to be interviewed by Asheville Watchdog. For as little as $5 a month the cost of a craft beer or kombucha you can help keep local journalism strong. MICHELLE CROUCH, North Carolina Health News, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. The Asheville Art Museum is a community-based nonprofit visual art organization in Western North Carolina (WNC) and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. An enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Luzene Hill advocates for Indigenous sovereigntylinguistically, culturally, and individually. I have also strictest the hell museum off my to do and support list. If you love unique and creative art, definitely drop in here. Contact her at [email protected]. A renovated and expanded museum opened in 2019 in a glass building that is now a landmark downtown, and the museum has an endowment of more than $6 million. Something needs to be done now. Being good at one thing (raising money) does not mean you are good at everything. Grace is a 2021 participant in the McKinsey Black Leadership Academy Management Accelerator and a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory. Mar 1, 2023 - Looking to get inspired on your trip to Asheville? Nonprofit journalism in the public interest. Asheville Art Museum Association Inc. has earned a 4/4 Star rating on Charity Navigator. The board twice brought in an executive coach, but staff complaints about Myers's management style persisted. Located on the Pacific Rim, LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, with a collection of nearly 149,000 objects that illuminate 6,000 years of artistic expression across the globe. The museum, Hamill pointed out, is a nonprofit institution accountable to the Board of Trustees. Id like to be able to do that more, because Ashevilles been a great community for us to live in, Shull said. This is one octogenarian who maybe shouldnt have access to a computer, or at the very least remember to click next when reviewing the states list of documents. While I am sure the attorneys may approve of such an approach, it leaves a great deal open to conjecture. The museum held a member appreciation party Nov. 10, the day after the Watchdog story appeared. One of the only free art museums in Asheville, the Black Mountain College Museum is small and donation-based. Sally Kestin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter. Furthermore, Hamills ignorant comments about gift shops being extraneous just goes to show that leadership and the people they surround themselves with do not understand how museums work. The board has stood by Myers, 65, largely crediting her with raising $30 million in a capital campaign that spanned well over a decade. Until Pam and the Board are replaced by people who are actually in service to Ashevilles citizens, it will continue to be A Hell Museum. Employee complaints have been a source of discord on the museum board. What is it with people these days? This story was originallypublishedbyAsheville Watchdog, an independent nonprofit news team serving Asheville and surrounding communities. Troy, New York nysmuseums.org. This sounds like unbalanced reporting to me for which this Watchdog should be shamed. This story has Hostile Work Environment written all over it, with lots of documentation and witnesses. Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Emails provided by Weitzman show she raised employee concerns beginning in March 2022. (251) 208-7508, 111 South Royal St, Mobile, AL 36602 Mobile Museum of Art (251)208-5200, 4850 Museum Drive, Mobile, AL Troy Pioneer Museum of Alabama (334)566-3597, 248 Highway 231 N, Troy, AL Tuscaloosa Children's Hands-On Museum (205)349-4239, 2213 University Blvd., Tuscaloosa, AL Paul W. Bryant Museum Our Vision + Mission: To transform lives through art. The fact that this has surfaced twice, she said, its not acceptable. She urged her fellow trustees to ask for Myerss resignation and to find a new executive director. Late-night Thursdays until 9pm; closed Tuesdays. But it was Krider, not Weitzman, who confronted Myers in front of board member Robert Benites. The Asheville Art Museums vision is to transform lives through art, and we welcome all visitors without discrimination. She urged her fellow trustees to ask for Myerss resignation and to find a new executive director. In all of my life, Ive never been in a situation where there was such hostility, and I actually felt physically threatened, Benites said. Healthy and productive debates are beneficial to any organization., Saenger also wrote that the board has complete confidence in Pam., This team, led by Pam, has built an outstanding institution, Saenger wrote. The employees were saying, Oh, she criticized me about something, Hamill said. 990 statements can be interesting. Krider said she told Myers, Why do you think you can just stonewall people who are really struggling to understand your role and some of whats been going on here? , According to Weitzman, Benites got defensive and said, I dont think this is appropriate, and Pam said, Im hosting a party. , Weitzman said Krider was shaking her finger at Myers but stopped when Myers asked her to. Established by artists and incorporated in 1948, the Asheville Art Museum is committed to being a vital force in community and individual development and to providing lifelong opportunities for education and enrichment through the visual arts. This should be more a group effort.. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Boca Raton Museum of Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, religion, color, marital status, national origin, citizenship, creed, gender, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation and/or gender identity, age, veteran status, mental or . Pre-purchased online tickets are encouraged; walk-in tickets are also available. Krider said that she was disturbed by what she had read in the Watchdog story. Students in grades 712 from all across Western North Carolina are invited to submit work for this special juried competition. Stop wagging your finger, didnt even notice I was doing it., Krider said all Weitzman did was tell me where Pam was standing and repeat something she had already apparently said that working for her is really difficult or however she worded it.. Im honestly glad that you had a decent time at the Museum, but please dont brush off the cruelty that many of us experienced from her. Weitzman and the group moved to the first floor, where Myers was standing with trustee Bob Benites. I was often told by Pam government organizations, local funders, and others didnt support the arts in Asheville-it was made very clear they did not support her. Youre focusing on me and refusing to focus on the problem, Pams leadership inability, Weitzman said. Please note that items in the second level of these menus can open a page and also expand submenus. He said Weitzman had disrupted board meetings and had inappropriate communications with staff. If so, its not a pretty picture. Leave, I did. I cautioned you on direct contact with staff, Saenger wrote. She and other current board members, as well as past board chairs, would only answer questions submitted in writing. The Asheville Art Museum, glistening through its glass exterior in the downtown heart of Pack Square, earns acclaim for its prized collection of American and Appalachian artwork. It is an age old story. Stop making the executive director position a vanity position for an effective fundraiser, and assign the position to a real qualified director. We recused ourselves of giving to the Asheville Art Museum until we have a new director.. Board of Trustees. Clearly there has been a consistent and ongoing pattern of abuse of volunteers and employees by Ms. Myers, which quite frankly reads like nothing short of a reign of terror .very very bad public relations no matter how magnificent your prized glass edifice there in Pack Square is. The board has stood by Myers, 65, largely crediting her with raising $30 million in a capital campaign that spanned well over a decade. No one on that board even bothered to come to Michelles defense and say, Well, wait a minute. That Myers has brought in a lot of funding is great. managing people, creating and maintaining relationships with community members and organizations, showing actual concern and motivation about addressing low visitor numbers, etc. do koalas have poisonous claws. The high attrition rate is simply bad business.. Is there not something to this? Huff said. But I feel like that has been compromised on numerous occasions by Michelle Weitzman.. I liken this behavior to what the vandals are doing defacing the museum, Saenger said. Enter the code you received via email to sign in, or sign in using a password. I did not sign the letter or go on record with Watchdog because I am afraid of retaliation from Pam and the board members who are in active leadership roles in this community. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. The Asheville Art Museum is a regional affiliate partner of the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, hosting an annual juried competition for students in grades 7-12 from all across Western North Carolina. A majority of the museum's board has remained steadfast to Myers, the museum's director since 1995, despite complaints by former employees in 2015 and again in 2021. The board has stood by Myers, 65, largely crediting her with raising $30 million in a capital campaign that spanned well over a decade. She and other current board members, as well as past board . They dont want to hear. Saenger then polled the trustees. Christina Carr, an AAM member, serves on the board of the Museum Trustee Association and co-chairs the fundraising advisory board at the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Opinion: Fewer restrictions on guns? But Zahler also referenced all the good work.. It was just very upsetting to me., Saenger said in the meeting, If youve read Lindsays report or spoken to others, I think its clear this was grossly inappropriate behavior by a trustee And this was in the midst of an event for members in the atrium of the museum., Asheville Watchdog requested the report Saenger referenced and any videotape of the incident. Never had any direct interaction with her but this article helps make more sense of why it seemed like such an unhappy place. On view through March 20! It sounds like it is time for the board to put Pam in her place as successful fundraiser in chief and keep her away from the rest of the organization. Before Europeans arrived in North America, Indigenous societies were predominantly matrilineal. the getty museum underground; houses for sale west pearl street, butler, pa; Recognitions; peter lowy malibu; CSR; how to remove a hashtag on tiktok. Momentum Gallery 13 Art Galleries Literary, Art & Music Tours By 858wandar Im sorry that having a frank conversation that you didnt want to have seemed like an attack. North Carolina museum exhibiting 20th century American art. Krider said she felt the response to Lewis was not right and approached Myers a second time. 120 College St, Asheville . I believe suing the Asheville Art Museum Board of Trustees for willful and ongoing negligence in regard to their statutory obligations is probably the most expedient avenue forward here. I think this is horrible., Zahler added that he was supposed to be making the motion to remove Weitzman, but obviously I got on a little too late I would like to second that motion.. Directions: 43 Patton Ave. Asheville, NC 28801. Supporters credit Myers with taking the museum from the basement of the Asheville Civic Center to the glistening anchor of downtown that it is today, and with overseeing a capital campaign that raised more than $30 million. And the sycophants & lickspittles fawning over her psyche & clamoring on how theyve been emotionally upset by this icky reality thing. Its an embarrassment. It is a cornerstone in this art-rich town that we can all be very proud of.. This has nothing to do with taking constructive criticism for writing mistakes or annoyance for pitching in after events or programs. The server responded with {{status_text}} (code {{status_code}}). It was not an attack.. She never responded. Pictured: The Missoula Art Museum, whose Museum as Megaphone distance learning platform has provided access to arts education to rural and Tribal communities across Montana throughout the pandemic. The Bass Museum of Art opened in 1964 through the donation of a private collection by John and Johanna Bass to the City of Miami Beach. Eight others complained to board members David Huff and Darren Green, beginning in 2020. Warning: Information you find on this page may be outdated or incorrect. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. But behind the facade, it gets ugly, an Asheville Watchdog investigation found. Asheville Community Theatre | Business Manager. The Museum invites you to explore our outstanding Collection of American art of the 20th and 21st centuries and to discover the richness of Western North Carolinas unique artistic history. Leadership Advisory Committee. New models of board governance have been introduced. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. 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