Leading more than their museums

While the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum are searching for new directors, the chiefs of two other L.A. museums -- the California Science Center in Exposition Park and the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo -- are leading the American Assn. of Museums, a 15,800-member organization that represents nearly 3,000 institutions. Jeffrey N. Rudolph, president and chief executive of the Science Center, is in the middle of a two-year term as chairman of the association’s board of directors. Irene Hirano, president of the Japanese American museum, just began a one-year term as vice chairwoman.

“It’s a nice thing for L.A.,” Rudolph says. “We have an incredibly vibrant museum community and one that is recognized nationally. People in L.A. don’t always appreciate that. Having two people from our museums at the head of this organization helps raise our profile.”

Openings for museum directors nationwide, mostly because of retirements, have raised concerns about the next generation of institutional leadership. That issue dominates AAM discussions about the future of museums, Rudolph says. But he thinks the fears may be overblown.

“My take on it,” he says, “is that boards need to be part of the process of thinking about what’s really critical in running a museum. The best CEOs or directors of museums are those who truly understand and are passionate about the mission. If they truly get it and believe in it, it doesn’t matter so much whether their background is at an art museum or an academic institution or in business.”

Current museum directors also need to play an active role in cultivating their successors, he says.

“It’s time to look at younger people in the museum field and see that they can develop the skills and do well. When people come from the outside, we need to help them learn the field and appreciate the ethics and values and missions.”

-- Suzanne Muchnic