Richard Armstrong, director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, said he plans to quit his role next year and conclude more than 14 years of leading the institution and its international sect.
Armstrong’s term is to survive the pandemic and respond to calls for change over racial inequality, both inside and on the walls of the museum. interview With the Financial Times published on Friday.
“Someday next spring,” he said in an interview, “I’m leaving the museum. By then it’s going to be nearly 15 years and it’s been a long time. The board is activated and active. It ’s a good moment. ”
In a news release, the museum said he would work with the board to find a successor before Armstrong resigned in 2023.
Under his leadership, Armstrong has recently described union efforts and an unfair working environment that allows members of the museum’s art department to “enable racism, white supremacy, and other discriminatory practices.” He was tasked with responding to protests against what he called. Armstrong said he responded to the demands of change by initiating a conversation with the curator and saw it as an opportunity to become a more diverse and equitable organization.
The museum later approved schedule To address these complaints, it has become one of the first major cultural organizations to provide details on its expanded diversity efforts in the changing demands of the industry as a whole. The plan included a commitment to strengthen its policy on reporting discrimination, and the new Commission was responsible for considering the institution’s exhibitions and acquisitions in terms of impartiality and diversity.
After Nancy Specter, one of the museum’s top managers, resigned on suspicion of racism, the museum nominated Naomi Beckwith to replace her and made her the first black deputy director and chief curator of the institution. Did. Later that year, another leadership shake-up continued when billionaire collector J. Tomilson Hill was appointed chairman of the board and writer Claudia Rankin was elected the second black female councilor in history. rice field.
Armstrong also oversaw a period of turbulence, especially as Guggenheim tried to open a new museum in Abu Dhabi and expand abroad a few years ago. The project led to a promise from Armstrong that the museum is deeply committed to labor issues, responding to protests and demands to ensure that workers are paid and treated fairly. The long-term delay project is expected to be completed in 2025 after Armstrong’s departure.
Another major change under Armstrong happened earlier this year when Guggenheim quietly erased Suckler’s name from the Education Center over his relationship with the family’s opioid crisis.
“As a leadership team, we have listened, learned and adapted to the changing dynamics of our programs, brands, audiences and funders,” Armstrong said in a statement. “We look forward to the continued prosperity of the Guggenheim community, catalyzing creative thinking and innovative artistic experiences since departure.”
