The Bowers Museum was founded in 1936 and its initial focus was Orange County history. In both 1990 and 2005 the Museum expanded and began producing world-class exhibitions from all over the world. Permanent collections and exhibitions include 5,000 years of Chinese art and culture and works from Oceania. The Museum has a sister museum partnership with the National History Museum of Taiwan and has signed join venture agreements with the British Museum and the Shanghai Museum.
The Museum’s mission is to enrich lives through presenting the world’s finest arts and cultures and its vision is to bring the world’s greatest collections to the people of California and the United States through innovative exhibitions and programming.
The Museum has a Board of Governors of 22 and a staff of 34 full-time and 25 part-time. Its annual budget is approximately $6 million. Before Covid visitation was 150,000 annually. Today, the Museum hosts approximately 75,000-120,000 depending upon the exhibitions. Membership is 6,000.
The President will have the opportunity to build the Board by attracting a younger group of members. S/he will build relationships throughout the community, lead fundraising activities in conjunction with the Chairwoman and will maintain an exciting travel program. Identifying innovative exhibitions from around the world will also present exciting opportunities for the new President.
The President, reporting to the Board of Governors, will bring vitality and direction, augment its financial resources, and implement short-and long-term strategic plans.
The ideal candidate will have a combination of training, education or experience equivalent to master’s degree in Art, History or Museum Studies. A minimum of seven-ten years of experience at a senior level position; commitment to DEAI, strong fundraising and communication skills and a big vision for the future of the Museum.
Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range is $250,000-$275,000. The Start date is summer/fall 2023.
To apply applicants must submit a current resume, a one-to-page narrative describing interest and experience and three professional references. Please us MCA’s online application system: https://mcaonline.com/searches/president-bowers-museum
Categories: Job Postings