Taubman Museum of Art’s Executive Director to retire

6:07 p.m.

In a place with so many recognizable features, one that has perhaps stood out just as much as the Taubman itself is Georganne Bingham.
 
She’s led the way as the museum went from a blueprint model to a model of different sorts.
“It’s been an amazing experience and it’s been a very stressful experience, there have been a lot of highs and a lot of lows,” explained Bingham.
   
In a news conference Wednesday Bingham made known her plans to retire.
   
The announcement comes just a few months since the museum’s opening, but years since her work began.

“Until recently I wasn’t sure it was time for me to retire, I didn’t feel that everything had been accomplished that I wanted to accomplish,” Bingham said.

The Board of Trustees hasn’t started their search for Bingham’s replacement, but they hope that person mirrors many of her qualities.

“Clearly Georganne was phenomenal at a lot of things, but a couple of them come to mind right off and one of them is fund raising, we raised 50 some million dollars for this project,” said John Williamson, President of Board of Trustees.
   
Even though all the art is in place and people are buying tickets, Williamson says fundraising efforts need to continue, a real focus when the hiring search begins.
 
They expect it to take no less than six months and in the meantime Bingham will stay put.
   
Whether or not you’ll still see her around the museum after her last day on the job is questionable

”I don’t know, it depends if they’re tired of looking at me or not, but I’d to always be able to volunteer,” Bingham said smiling.

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1:18 p.m.

By WSLS News Staff

Just a few months after it opened, the Taubman Museum of Art says it’s losing its Executive Director.

Georganne Bingham plans to retire by the end of this year, according to a news release from John Williamson, president of the museum’s board of trustees.

“I am ready to enjoy the pleasure and time of retirement, and I look forward to the opportunity to travel, pursue new interests, and visit family and friends,” Bingham said in the news release.

“We hired Georganne knowing that she would, at some point, choose to retire.  We are grateful for the notice of her retirement now, so that we can have a smooth transition of executive leadership, which is certainly best for the institution,” said Williamson.  Added Williamson, “the board has the utmost appreciation for the wonderful job that Georganne has done, and she will be greatly missed when she leaves us later this year.”

Williamson says the museum will begin a search for a new executive director immediately.

Read the full news release below

John Williamson, president of the board of trustees of the Taubman Museum of Art, announced today that Georganne Bingham, the museum’s executive director, plans to retire by the end of the year. 

“I have decided that the time has come for me to step down from my responsibilities sometime this year to retire,” said Bingham.  “I am ready to enjoy the pleasure and time of retirement, and I look forward to the opportunity to travel, pursue new interests, and visit family and friends.”

“We hired Georganne knowing that she would, at some point, choose to retire.  We are grateful for the notice of her retirement now, so that we can have a smooth transition of executive leadership, which is certainly best for the institution,” said Williamson.  Added Williamson, “the board has the utmost appreciation for the wonderful job that Georganne has done, and she will be greatly missed when she leaves us later this year.”

The museum will begin the process of searching for a new executive director immediately.  A search committee will be formed, and the board expects to engage an outside executive search firm to assist in the selection of a new director.  Bingham will work with the search committee.

Bingham was brought on board in August of 2003 to lead the museum’s new building project.  The 81,000 square foot structure, which opened on November 8, 2008, is the first purpose-built art museum ever constructed in Roanoke and a significant step in the further development of the region as an arts destination of national and international stature. 

Bingham oversees an annual operating budget of over $4 million, full-time staff of 35, and has overall responsibility for the museum’s operations and advancement.  During her directorship, the museum has raised more than $54 million in capital funds and millions more in endowment and annual giving.  Under her guidance, Ambassador Nicholas F. Taubman and his wife, Mrs. Eugenia L. Taubman, made the single largest gift the museum has ever received of $15 million to support the capital campaign to build the new museum building.

Bingham is responsible for an increase in museum membership from 500 households when she began her directorship to over approximately 3,000 households today.  Annual giving has increased significantly, and she has been instrumental in the development of new sources of earned revenue to support operations, including a museum store, café, and catering and space rentals.

The museum’s permanent collection has grown under Bingham, with over 310 new pieces added to the collection in the past five years.  Exhibitions under her management include 17th Florentine Painting:  Selections from the Haukohl Family Collection; Rethinking Landscape:  Contemporary Photography from the Allen J. Thomas, Jr. Collection; and Celebration and Vision:  The Hewitt Collection of African-American Art, as well as the upcoming exhibitions Sordid and Sacred:  The Beggars in Rembrant’s Etchings from the John Villarino Collection and American Naïve Painting from the Garbisch Collection.

She has overseen the formation of an innovative education program for K-12 students in western Virginia that ties the fine arts to the core content areas of instruction (English, math, science and history) and is aligned with Virginia’s Standards of Learning.  In addition, she has helped to create strong relationships with regional colleges and universities that are resulting in the creation of educational initiatives that will augment existing school programs, as well as provide professional development and training opportunities for regional educators.

A strong advocate for the idea that art museums need to be exciting and accessible to all, Bingham also has directed the development of exciting public programs that are attracting diverse audiences and bringing non-traditional visitors to the museum.  Her focus on regional culture has been the catalyst for innovative programming partnerships with other arts and culture organizations, a popular concert series celebrating the music of the region, and a documentary archive of the region’s craftsmen.

Bingham is well known for her upbeat and enthusiastic personality, her “can do” attitude, and her passion for raising money.  Recognized also for her ability to work well with various and diverse constituencies, Bingham has been embraced by the community for her “soft touch” and Southern charm. 

Bingham was appointed executive director after a national search following the departure of former executive director Judy L. Larson, Ph.D., who left to become the executive director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.  Bingham joined the museum after serving as deputy director of development for the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh for eight years.

Bingham will begin to wind down her operational responsibilities over the next six months, transitioning them to key senior staff members, so that she can spend most of her time doing what she loves best – raising money for the museum.

“I love the museum, and I love this community.  I am very lucky to be able to end my working career in Roanoke, where I plan to remain, in close proximity to the museum and all of the wonderful people I have been able to meet and know as director,” said Bingham. 

The Taubman Museum of Art is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.  Admission is $8.50 for adults, $7.50 for seniors, $4.50 for children ages 5-12, and free for children 4 and under. 

For more information, visit http://www.taubmanmuseum.org or call 540.342.5760