Laguna Museum Takes First Step in Director Search : Art: The board on Tuesday will hear general recommendations from in-house committee on replacing the fired Charles Desmarais.

General recommendations from a search committee for a new museum director will be made Tuesday to the Laguna Art Museum board, according to board president Teri Kennady.

The search committee, headed by board member Gerald Buck, is looking for a replacement for Charles Desmarais, who was fired by the board last month without cause, an action permitted by the terms of his contract.

Kennady steadfastly has refused to be more specific about the reasons for the board’s dissatisfaction with Desmarais, other than citing a need for “more energy to be put into administration.” Desmarais, who held the job for nearly six years, has acknowledged that his relationship with the board had been edgy in recent months.

During the past couple of weeks, letters and phone calls from people close to the museum have indicated that Desmarais and the board disagreed over how much time he should spend curating exhibits as opposed to raising money.

*

Meanwhile, Trudy Farrington, a former treasurer and president of the Affiliates, one of the museum’s three former volunteer councils, said recently that all three groups folded during Desmarais’ tenure.

“Why work your rear end off and get no credit?” she asked. In her view, the next director should be “someone who’s diplomatic and has a bedside manner.”

Kennady said the museum would hire a search firm, yet to be determined, in May. The only attribute of the ideal candidate that she would state before next week’s meeting is “prior experience as a museum director.” So far, she said, the board has not decided such issues as the future director’s salary.

Meanwhile, Desmarais is a top candidate for the director’s post at the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston.