DIRECTOR

THE FRICK ART & HISTORICAL CENTER
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

BACKGROUND:
The Frick Art & Historical Center, also known as the Frick-Pittsburgh or the Frick, is a multi-facility art museum and historical organization occupying a 5.5 acre landscaped site in the East End of Pittsburgh, adjacent to the 644 acre Frick Park. The Frick provides a window on the life of the Henry Clay Frick family and, more broadly, life in Pittsburgh in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when Pittsburgh was a center of entrepreneurial energy that shaped the nation and   the world. Committed to the preservation, presentation and interpretation of the Frick's varied buildings and collections including art, decorative arts, vintage automobiles, historically significant artifacts and other resources, the Frick is one of Pittsburgh's most important cultural and educational assets.

The Frick's principal assets are gifts from Helen Clay Frick, a daughter of Henry Clay Frick.  They reflect her desire to honor her father and his roles as family man, industrialist, art collector and philanthropist. They include: 

The Frick Art Museum (FAM), which opened in 1970, houses collections of Italian Renaissance paintings, 17th- 19th century European paintings, and associated decorative arts, particularly Italian bronzes and French furniture. The FAM also includes three exhibition galleries where three to four special exhibits are mounted each year, an auditorium and curatorial offices.

Clayton, the Frick family home, was purchased by Mr. Frick in 1882 and substantially transformed by Frederick Osterling in 1887 as a Neo-French Renaissance chateau. Following Ms. Frick's death in 1984, Clayton was completely restored. It was opened to the public in 1990. More than 90% of Clayton's furnishings are original to the house, including many of Mr. Frick's earliest art acquisitions. Mr. Frick's near neighbors in the late 19th century included Andrew Carnegie, George Westinghouse, H. J. Heinz and Andrew Mellon. Clayton is the last of the houses of these great entrepreneurs. Special Docent-led tours with varying themes are offered to visitors year round.

The Car and Carriage Museum (CCM) was opened in 1997 and houses a collection of Frick family carriages and automobiles from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as a vintage automobile collection donated by G. Whitney Snyder, a Pittsburgh philanthropist, illuminating the automotive industry in the early 20th century.

The Frick campus also houses several ancillary buildings: the 1897 Frick Children’s Playhouse and the 1897 Greenhouse, both designed by Alden& Harlow; The Cafe at the Frick, a popular dining spot; Haller House, an arts-and-crafts residence that houses Frick administrative offices.

The Frick’s education program and staff are housed in Lexington House. The Frick offers highly-regarded education programs to public and private schools in the City and the region; it mounts a dynamic schedule of public programs and outreach activities for varied audiences; and its visitors are drawn from the diverse neighborhoods that surround it and from the region at large. The Frick also offers concerts on the lawn (First Fridays) during the summer months. The Frick hosts roughly 125,000 visitors each year; its educational programs serve over 14,000 individuals of all ages annually.

For further information about the Frick please visit their web site;
http://www.thefrickpittsburgh.org

The Current Building Program:
The Frick is nearing the mid-point of a comprehensive building and renovation program that is the result of an extended needs assessment and site planning process. This building program is currently being led by an architectural team of Schwartz/Silver (Boston) and Loysen + Kreuthmeier (Pittsburgh) and is proceeding in two phases:

Phase I

A new Orientation Center, currently under construction and scheduled for completion in June 2014, is sited at a re-located entrance to the Frick campus. The Orientation Center will introduce visitors to the disparate components of the Frick campus and include a visitor education component and an enlarged Museum store. It will house ticketing for Clayton tours, be the point of origin for the tours and include handicapped-accessible visitor service amenities.

The Orientation Center will utilize state-of-the-art education technologies at varied levels (interactive display panels, a touch-table and iPad bars) so that visitors can learn about the Frick, its varied facilities and what they will experience during their visits. In addition, these educational resources will give visitors an understanding of Pittsburgh during a period of extraordinary entrepreneurial vitality that re-shaped America.

Phase II

Phase II of the building project will have three components: a new Education Center; renovation and expansion of the CCM to provide a new Carriage Gallery and climate-controlled collection storage; and a new Community Center. The architectural team is now preparing construction drawings for the Phase II components.

The new Education Center will be a wholly-renovated facility that will occupy the building that now houses the Carriage Gallery of the CCM. This space, at the center of the Frick campus, is exceptionally appropriate and affords logistical advantages in dealing with school groups. The Education Center will include two separate classrooms equipped with internet access; a lunch room that can also be used for programs; age-appropriate service amenities; and preparation and office space for the education staff. Interactive, state-of-the-art technology such as computer tablets will be utilized to deliver the Frick's already superior educational programs relating to art, history, culture, science and literacy.

The Education Center will open onto a newly-landscaped courtyard (located between the Center and the Orientation Center) that will be suitable for outdoor programs and activities.

The Carriage Gallery will in turn be re-located to a new purpose-built facility integrated with the current Car Gallery. When the new facility is completed, the CCM will be able to exhibit most of the extant Frick carriages (fewer than half of those carriages can now be displayed at one time) under better lighting and climatic conditions than the current CCM permits. The new CCM will also enable the seamless display of cars and carriages and provide opportunities for enhanced interpretation of the development of the transportation industry in Western Pennsylvania and the nation. The renovated CCM will include lower-level, climate-controlled collection storage for both carriages and antique cars and for other Frick collections and artifacts that are now stored off-site.

A new Community Center will be constructed close to the new Carriage Gallery and will share an entrance and visitor amenities with the renovated CCM. The Community Center will enable the Frick to host groups it cannot now accommodate, such as bus tours. It will provide additional space for education programming and will provide an amenity that will be available to groups in the Frick's surrounding neighborhoods. It (and an adjacent courtyard) will be available for rental events.

Current plans call for moving forward with construction of these Phase II components promptly following the opening of the Orientation Center in June 2014. On that schedule, the entire project would be completed by roughly year-end 2015. Initial estimates suggest that, upon completion of the building program, incremental revenues attributable to the new and renovated facilities will exceed incremental expenses.

The Capital Campaign
The Frick's building and renovation project is supported by an ongoing Capital Campaign with a target of $15MM, inclusive of a reserve for endowed maintenance calculated at 10% of actual construction costs. Of that amount, over $10MM had been raised as of January 1, 2014. The initial phase of the Campaign focused on Trustee gifts, and those gifts substantially exceeded a $1MM challenge grant from a local foundation. A second phase focused on major foundation grants, and a lead gift of $3MM was received from the Richard King Mellon Foundation. In addition, a Community Campaign Committee, which currently has over 120 members, has been formed to pursue individual gifts; although the Community Campaign is in its earliest stages, several six-figure leadership pledges have been received to date. An additional Campaign focus on corporate gifts is in the planning stages, as is the pursuit of funding from the state and local governments.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The Frick's Board of Trustees is comprised of 30 Trustees. Twenty-four Term Trustees serve for three-year terms, with a maximum of three terms followed by a mandatory one-year break in service. In addition, six Frick Family Trustees, who must be direct descendants of Henry Clay Frick, are designated by the Frick family.

The Frick has had two Directors since its inception. DeCourcy McIntosh, the founding Director, served for seventeen years and oversaw the restoration of Clayton, the construction of the CCM, and the Frick's transition to an integrated public facility. His successor, William Bodine, has served for twelve years and has announced his retirement, effective June 30, 2014. Mr. Bodine has overseen a substantial expansion of the Frick's education programs, as well as the needs assessment, site planning and design process for the Frick's current building project.

The Frick's senior staff is comprised of the Director's direct reports: the Directors of Curatorial Affairs, Education, External Affairs, Finance and Administrative Services, and Operations and Visitor Services. The incumbent department heads have served in their current positions for varying periods ranging from eight years to several months. 

The Frick enjoys a strong financial position and prospects. It has a substantial endowment that has recovered nicely from the effects of the global financial crisis. As of January 1, 2014, the endowment's market value was slightly in excess of $70MM. The Frick's annual budget in recent years has been approximately $5MM. That budget is funded by a 5% draw on endowment (based on a rolling 12 quarter average), roughly $1MM in contributed income (from memberships, individual and corporate contributions and foundation grants); and roughly $1MM in earned income (from Clayton admissions, the Cafe and the Shop). Although the Frick's draw on endowment dropped by roughly $700,000 between FY 2009 and FY 2013 as a result of the financial crisis, the Frick has been prudently managed and has had an operating budget surplus each year throughout that period. With the recovery of the endowment, the Frick’s available draw will increase from $2.9MM in FY 2013 to $3.2MM in FY 2015.

POSITION AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Subject to the authority and direction of the Frick Board of Trustees, the Director serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Frick and is responsible for the presentation, preservation and interpretation of the Frick's varied properties and collections; for overseeing the development of educational and other mission-related programs that draw on the Frick's resources; for maintaining the standards of artistic integrity and excellence that characterize the Frick-Pittsburgh; for prudent management of the operations and finances of the Frick; and for direct supervision of the Frick's five department heads.

In particular, the Director will:

• With the support of the Department of Curatorial Affairs, oversee the care, development and display of the Frick's collections; identify and/or organize appropriate temporary exhibitions; develop related publications; provide collection-related research; and (with both the Department of  Curatorial Affairs and the Department of Education) promote a range of programs that interpret those collections.

• With the support of the Education Department, oversee and expand, as appropriate, high-quality and innovative educational programs for multiple audiences.

• With the support of the External Affairs Department, promote the profile of the Frick and its   collections in the local community and the national museum community; develop and implement fund-raising strategies; and marshal public, private, foundation and corporate support for the Frick's operations, programs and objectives.

• With the support of the Department of Finance and Administrative  Services, develop and implement budgets approved by the Trustees; monitor the financial performance of the Frick (including the prudent management of its endowment); and identify and address, as appropriate, the financial and capital needs of the Frick consistent with its long-term requirements.

• With the support of the Operations and Visitor Services Department, oversee the overall operation and maintenance of the Frick's property, plant and equipment; and promote visitor satisfaction.

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES:

The new Director - through imagination, initiative, energy, insight and taste - will be expected to enhance the Frick, its programs and its role in the cultural life of the larger community in ways that may not now be readily apparent.

The Director will oversee the completion of the Frick's current building and renovation project and will work to ensure that the full potential of the new facilities now under construction and in planning is realized.

To build constituencies and assure the on-going appeal of a museum of the Gilded Age to a 21st century audience, the  Director must continue the Frick’s evolution as a significant public institution positioning the Frick as exciting, energetic, innovative and accessible with a clear and strong curatorial and educational perspective.

The new Director will engage with the entire city to build awareness of and support for the Frick and will develop collaborations and partnerships with other local, national and international   cultural institutions.

Although the Frick has a healthy endowment, the new Director, in partnership with the Board of Trustees, will undertake significant fund raising efforts and, building on the momentum and increased profile created by the Campaign, lead the endeavor to develop new sources of funding and revenue.

The new Director, working with the Board of Trustees and the staff, will have the opportunity to develop the next iteration of the Frick’s goals and actions through a strategic planning process.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Although the qualifications for a new Director are not set in stone, the Trustees generally consider the following characteristics desirable:

• B.A. degree, with an advanced academic and/or professional degree preferred;

• Demonstrable leadership, interpersonal and written and oral communication skills and the desire and ability to relate to diverse constituencies;

• Broad-gauged interests and the energy, enthusiasm, desire and ability to manage multiple and multi-faceted projects simultaneously;

• Artistic, educational and/or managerial experience in a significant position with a museum of art and/or history or equivalent experiences in another cultural, educational or governmental entity;

• Prior success in and enthusiasm for fund raising.

In sum, candidates must be visionary and strategic, having already given thought to the future of museums and their education and outreach programs. They must be enthusiastic about the opportunity to make their mark while building on the excellent reputation of the Frick and its history of exemplary exhibitions, acquisitions and programs. The new Director will be highly regarded as a leader with a demonstrated ability and passion for working with diverse constituencies. The ideal candidate will currently hold an administrative or curatorial position with comparable managerial responsibilities and be recognized as a dynamic and energetic individual who values integrity and excellence; is an effective communicator; and is a flexible and collegial collaborator.

START DATE: Summer 2014

PROCEDURE FOR APPLICATION:
The Frick Board has appointed a Search Committee comprised of seven Trustees. The Committee has in turn engaged the services of Management Consultants for the Arts, Inc. to assist it in the search process. Applicants should submit a resume, a one-page narrative describing interest and experience, and the names of three references. Suggestions of candidates are also welcome.

Send resume and accompanying materials to:
Linda Sweet or Diane Frankel
Subject: Frick - Pittsburgh  
Email: MCAWall2@gmail.com
www.mcaonline.us