Heckscher Eliminates Chief Curator Position

The chief curator at the town-owned Heckscher Museum of Art was let go recently, prompting members of the local art community to rally in support of the 90-year-old institution.  

Two e-mails went out early this week to the members of local arts groups stating that the Heckscher could be in "big trouble" and asked supporters to attend the museum's Board of Trustees' meeting on May 17 at 7 p.m.

One e-mail sounded the alarm and asked for supporters.

"Please spread the word. The Heckscher Museum is in big trouble. An open meeting is being held in which they are asking that the place be packed to show how much value the museum has to Huntington. If you can attend, please do and pass the word to everyone you know."

Another also urged members of the community to rally Monday.

"You don't have to talk or do anything but sit and be a presence in a room so that the Board knows that the community cares about The Heckscher. If there is anyone that you can bring with you, please by all means do. Again, there is nothing else that is being asked of you except to show up."

That same e-mail said there is a "disconnect" between staff at the museum and the Board of Trustees led by Chair Margaret Hargraves.

"Normally the board meetings are public for the first hour, but no one realized that until very recently," it read.

Nina Muller, director of external affairs, said that the museum is not in danger of closing its doors.

"This is a bad rumor. The Heckscher Museum of Art, like all museums around the country, faces many challenges as a result of the difficult economy. The chief curator position at the Heckscher Museum of Art has been eliminated as part of the museum's plan to restructure.  The plan was unanimously accepted by the Board of Trustees in October 2009.  All exhibitions planned for 2010 will move ahead as scheduled under the direction of Lisa Chalif, Assistant Curator. Updates will be announced as the plan moves forward."

Interim Director Judith Jedlicka, appointed in October 2009, said in an e-mail that she agreed with Muller's statement.

The Town of Huntington owns cultural facilities, including the Heckscher Museum of Art, which are operated in cooperation with non-profit organizations. The Town of Huntington's 2009 adopted budget included $566,786 for the museum operation. Town officials declined to comment on the elimination of the chief curator position.

Most recent Chief Curator Kenneth Wayne joined the Heckscher in 2005. Previously, he was Curator of Modern Art at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo for six years. He received his museum training through internships at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum. Dr. Wayne earned his doctorate from Stanford University, his master's degree from the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London and his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, according to his biography.

The museum's Board of Trustees, in addition to Margaret Hargraves, is made up of Hans, Vice-chairman and Treasurer E. R. Bosch, Vice-Chairman Alan Polacek, Secretary Carolyn Fostel, Liaison Officer to the Town of Huntington Holli Gersh, and trustees Jed C. Albert, Carl G. Markel, Bette Schneiderman, Jane A. Shallat and Jeffrey Tupper.