While you were holiday shopping (maybe) on Friday, news broke that Susan L. Talbott will retire as director and C.E.O. of the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford. There’s no sign that anything is amiss, but up in Hartford–which has dismisssed or lost a few directors in recent years because of board relations and expectations–you never know.
And she did say. “Looking ahead, I am eager to explore a different chapter in my life and career”–which isn’t quite “leaving to spend more time with my family,” but….
Talbott took over the museum in 2008 and plans to leave next fall, after a $33 million renovation, which upgraded and expanded the museum’s galleries, reopen.
Here’s how the museum recapped her career there:
Taking charge of a museum that needed repair and modernization, Talbott first tackled deferred maintenance and restoration of the Wadsworth Atheneum’s historic buildings…Connecticut awarded the Wadsworth Atheneum the remaining funds needed to complete its $33 million renovation, increasing public gallery space by more than 25% without any new construction. [She]…significantly increased efficiencies via the installation of a proprietary power plant and new HVAC system, as well as a state-of-the-art storage facility….Talbott also built a strong, competent staff of curatorial and administrative professionals, strengthening the core of personnel charged with continuing forward momentum into the future.
Talbott also took steps early in her tenure to increase and diversify the visitor pool while working to retain the museum’s core supporters, deepening the museum’s roots and broadening its reach into the local community….
Well, perhaps. But I’ve been disappointed by the exhibition schedule there, which I found somewhat mediocre –e.g., the coming show focusing on Coney Island–given the Atheneum’s illustrious history.
On the other hand, several acquisitions were good, such as: “…a generous gift from her friend and internationally renowned artist Richard Tuttle, titled, “Formal Narration”; the 2014 purchase of Artemisia Gentileschi’s masterpiece, “Self-Portrait as a Lute Player,” which will be unveiled to the public for the first time in 2015; a major bequest of Arts and Crafts furniture and decorative art by collector Stephen Gray; and purchases of important works by Georgia O’Keeffe, Martin Puryear, Sean Scully, Kiki Smith and Kara Walker.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Wadsworth Atheneum