Curator Armstrong Is Named as Acting Director of OCMA

Chief curator and deputy director of art Elizabeth Armstrong will be acting director, filling in for director Naomi Vine, Orange County Museum of Art officials have announced.

In addition to her new responsibilities as director--oversight of all museum operations--Armstrong will continue to lead the museum’s curatorial team in its new 2001-02 season. Vine, who had brain surgery to remove a melanoma tumor in September, is taking an extended leave to recuperate.

The museum also is expected to announce a temporary deputy director of administration, a position created to aid Armstrong in the day-to-day administration of the institution, its budget and finances.

“I’m putting into place an interim structure to keep the momentum going forward during this transition period,” Armstrong said. “When Naomi is back, this interim deputy director will step down at the same time I will step down as acting director. We’re all counting on Naomi coming back.”

Vine’s absence comes at a crucial time. The museum is examining the technical challenges of a possible move to a 140,000-square-foot site in Costa Mesa, part of a larger arts complex at the Orange County Performing Arts Center that includes a 2000-seat concert hall and a 500-seat auditorium. Issues to resolve include the closure of Town Center Drive to traffic, storage facilities and parking.

Tentative plans for the larger site could include a two-level underground parking structure, OCMA Board Chairman Darrel Anderson said. The estimated cost for the sublevel parking, with about 250 to 300 spaces, could be more than $5 million, museum board members say.

Anderson said he would like to keep a Newport Beach presence, such as its current San Clemente Drive site, where the permanent collection is stored, but the museum may consider closing its satellite gallery at South Coast Plaza.

“This has been a challenging year with steps forward and steps back with Naomi out, but Liz on board,” Anderson said. “Now, it’s getting our ducks in a row in this economic environment and move to expand. I can assure you that this will be a tough fund-raising environment. Surviving the current economy, maintaining the momentum we’ve created this year and moving forward with the project for the future--that’s an ambitious schedule.”