LouAnne Greenwald is the newly appointed director for the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She will begin work on July 1.
Greenwald replaces Lance Harris, who has served as interim director since January of last year.
The University conducted a nationwide search to fill the position. The search committee consisted of members of the museum board, faculty members, local artists and community supporters of the museum.
Dr. Jim Henderson, UL Lafayette's provost, said Greenwald is a great fit.
"Her engagement with members of the museum staff, the arts community in Acadiana and the University community impressed the search committee. I’m confident that the museum will thrive under her leadership.
“She exhibits a wonderful combination of being a successful artist, a successful fundraiser in support of the arts, and an experienced administrator in the arts field," he said.
Greenwald has 11 years of experience in management and programming for non-profit institutions, including museums and higher education. For example, she helped raise $7.4 million to support the new West Hollywood Library in Los Angeles County and designed campaign plans for the Washington, D.C., SEED Foundation to create public boarding schools for underserved 6th to 12th graders.
She is a sculptor, painter, photographer, and a self-described "bicycle enthusiast and fledgling pianist."
In a recent interview, Greenwald said she's looking forward to working with the museum staff and board on several goals. She hopes to:
• expand the museum’s audience and membership;
• make the museum a center for community engagement and self-directed learning;
• foster collaborations across campus, with the local community and throughout the region; and
• enhance the museum’s online presence to create new avenues for interactivity.
As director, she will oversee a range of exhibits, programs and tours. The museum houses a collection of 18th through 21st century European, Asian and American art. In addition to the permanent collection, the museum’s 11,000 square feet of gallery space also features changing exhibitions of regional, national and international art.
Greenwald holds a master's degree in fine arts from the University of Southern California and a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Kent State University. In 2013, she earned the Certified Fund Raising Executives credential from Certified Fund Raising Executive International, a non-profit organization.
Prior to joining UL Lafayette, she was the principal partner at LouAnne Greenwald and Associates in Washington, D.C. The firm provides fundraising consultation services including campaign planning, major gift fundraising and grant writing for small to mid-size non-profit organizations.
Greenwald has worked for museums and other institutions, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County; and the MAK Center for Art and Architecture at the Schindler House, Los Angeles, a satellite of the MAK Museum in Vienna, Austria.
The MAK Center, housed in a historic architectural landmark, offers exhibitions and public programs that often explore cross-disciplinary practices, Greenwald explained.
She was a development director and an educator at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. USC is a private research university with total student enrollment of about 40,000. It offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in a range of academic areas.
"The Roski School of Fine Arts at USC, where I taught, was focused on visual arts, while UL Lafayette's College of the Arts brings together architecture, music, performing and visual arts. It lends itself to cross-disciplinary collaboration," Greenwald noted.
"UL Lafayette's museum is a wonderful cultural asset for the Lafayette community both on and off campus," she added.
"Research universities such as UL Lafayette offer a distinct opportunity to draw upon diverse academic disciplines and expertise to generate new perspectives that inspire art, education and creativity."
For more information about the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, visit museum.louisiana.edu.