Becoming the director of The Dayton Art Institute is an exciting opportunity and I am eager to meet the museum’s many supporters and members of the Dayton community in the coming months.

I was surprised and intrigued last August when Brad Tillson called me in Lincoln, Nebraska, to describe The Dayton Art Institute and solicit my possible interest in its open director position. His comments were compelling, and a subsequent brief visit introduced me to the many assets The Dayton Art Institute offers—including its outstanding collections in diverse areas, the substantial involvement of the community in the museum as demonstrated by the number of annual visitors and active members, stellar education programs, and talented and enthusiastic staff and volunteers.

Importantly, I was also impressed by how friendly people in Dayton seemed to be (verified on subsequent visits) and how they value the arts, as reflected in the Schuster Center and the array of performing arts organizations and other visual arts venues.  This energy and the values it reflects significantly enhanced my interest in this position.  The opportunity to provide leadership and to address contemporary museum practices at a larger institution located in an urban center was also of considerable appeal.

Since I was raised in Cleveland, I was introduced to its fine art museum in my youth.  My interest in art history was piqued at Allegheny College in western Pennsylvania, and I initially pursued an interest in teaching as a graduate student at the University of Iowa.  However, the ability to work with outstanding objects as a young assistant curator at the Indiana University Art Museum convinced me of the unique educational value of engaging audiences with original works of art, whose scale, colors, and textures can only be apprehended firsthand.

Since that time museums and their missions have changed dramatically and in our current mediated age, more than ever, I believe museums are uniquely poised to serve as arenas for multidisciplinary object-based learning, enhanced cultural understandings, and social discourse.  Today’s finest museums are responsible caretakers of cultural heritage AND actively engaged with and responsive to their communities—contributing to and benefiting from multiple partnerships.

As I join The Dayton Art Institute staff, I look forward to the opening of LIMITED EDITIONS: 20th-Century Prints from the Ponderosa Collection, which features marvelous works by some of America’s foremost artists and gives testimony to the dedication and spirit of the people of Dayton who secured this impressive collection for the community where it was assembled.

I also owe a debt of gratitude to Brad Tillson, who devoted countless hours and considerable business acumen to both recruiting a new director and to assuring the viability of the museum into a new era.  And, I express my profound gratitude to Board President Joseph A. Zehenny who, in his capacity as chair of the search committee, contributed significant time and talent to the search process.  I thank Joe, the board, members of the search committee, and the many staff and volunteers whose extraordinary energy and talents have assured the continued vibrancy of The Dayton Art Institute during this time of transition.

Thank you as well to you, our members and friends, for your support for the museum and its programs. The year ahead promises to be an exciting one, and I look forward to meeting you soon.

Janice Driesbach,

Director and CEO