The Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, Va., has named as its new executive director none other than David Mickenberg, who left his job as head of Wellesley College’s Davis Museum and Cultural Center about a year ago in the wake of the the museum losing a valuable Leger painting.
That detail didn’t make it into the Taubman press release, which naturally focused on Mickenberg’s accomplishments during his 7-year tenure at Wellesley College, which were many:
At the Davis Museum and Cultural Center, Mickenberg successfully completed a $10.5 million endowment campaign for programming and acquisitions, oversaw the thematic reinstallation of the collections, and significantly increased the attendance at the museum by faculty, staff, students, and the public. Under his leadership, the museum created a curatorial exchange program with the Louvre, began an international fellowship and internship program in the arts for Wellesley students, organized exhibitions that circulated nationally, and significantly enhanced and expanded the museum’s collections.
As for the Davis Museum, it is looking for a new director.
Meanwhile, the show goes on, with the museum’s opening celebration for the fall taking place on Sept. 16 from 6-8pm. Mecca Bodega, a New York City-based world fusion percussion ensemble, will perform an outdoor concert at the Jewett Stairway at 7:30pm (rain location is Jewett Auditorium). All these activities are free and open to the public.
