Arts merger
Departure of Arthouse director signals more change to come
After twelve years at the helm, Sue Graze announced Tuesday she will be stepping down as Executive Director at Arthouse.
“We are extraordinarily grateful for Sue’s service,” says Arthouse Board President Melba Whatley in an offical Arthouse press release. “Sue has led us through a time of tremendous growth and we appreciate the work she’s put in over many years to make Arthouse a dynamic and important voice in contemporary art.”
Effective Oct 14, Graze will switch into the nebulous title of Director Emeritus. According to the press release, "The Arthouse Board of Directors is pursuing a range of options to select a successor."
A merger would benefit the two organizations by meeting one another's most pressing needs.
This announcement comes amidst talks of merger with the Austin Museum of Art (AMOA), Arthouse's neighbor along Congress Avenue. It's no secret that Arthouse has been in talks with AMOA regarding a potential merger since May. While no official statements have been made regarding progress of those talks, this vacancy does raise the eyebrows of those following the recent downtown arts scene.
After assuming the role in 1999, Graze saw Arthouse through the $6.6 million renovation that established the contemporary gallery as a downtown architectural jewel. The new space upped the gallery's international recognition and allowed a new throng of creatives to find employment upon opening.
Meanwhile, AMOA is facing a looming location crunch since they will no longer be renting the space at 823 Congress Avenue. While Laguna Gloria is a fantastic historic destination, they have made strides to maintain a downtown presence.
Rumors of financial difficulties have followed Arthouse after a string of staff cuts and and a reduced budget crippled the full programming potential of the ultra hip new building. Additionally, prominent board members severed ties with Arthouse after controversy sprung up during SXSW 2010 regarding Warner Music Group altering an artists' installation during a promotional event hosted at Arthouse.
AMOA, on the other hand, has a $3.5 million endowment and over $21 million in cash after selling a downtown plot of land where they once planned to build their new museum. AMOA also carries with them an impressive permanent collection and a series of educational programs, The Art School and community events like La Dolce Vita.
A merger would benefit the two organizations by meeting one another's most pressing needs. For AMOA, a downtown space and modernization; for Arthouse, secure programs and a steady revenue stream. With Graze stepping down in October and Jack Nokes serving as Interim Chief Operating Officer at AMOA, it would seem the ideal time to reunite the two nonprofits that were once the same entity, known simply as Texas Fine Arts Association. (May we suggest the new name, Austin Museum of Arthouse?)
The two organizations are already working together on the upcoming Arthouse exhibition, The Anxiety of Photography. This exhibition, organized by the Aspen Art Museum, is hopefully a glance into what's to come in the future.
In the meantime, Graze is looking forward to her new role as Director Emeritus. “This position is a luxury we don’t often get in our careers," Graze says, "and it will provide me the opportunity to work on projects of my own choosing, large and small, with Arthouse and other institutions. It is an exciting new phase in my career.”
We wish her all the luck and look forward to the new developments for both of these organizations.