The Bowdoin College Museum of Art will soon have two new directors, Dean of Academic Affairs Cristle Collins Judd announced on Wednesday. Frank H. Goodyear III and his wife, Anne Collins Goodyear, will serve as co-directors starting June 1.
The search for a new director began early last year when Kevin Salatino, director of the museum for three years, accepted a position as the director of art collections at the Huntington Library in San Marino, Calif.
“Foremost in our search was the desire to appoint a director who would exude a passion for the art museum’s unique and important collection,” wrote Judd in an email to the Orient.
After meeting with the Goodyears, the original “director” position changed to “directors,” a move that, according to Anne Goodyear, “is rather unusual in the art world.”
“Bowdoin, I think, is really doing something here that’s quite innovative,” said Goodyear of the College’s decision to appoint the husband-wife team as co-directors.
The dynamic duo will bring a strong curatorial background to the museum. Both currently work as curators at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., Frank as curator of photography and Anne as associate curator of prints and drawings. Anne is also president of the College Art Association and a lecturer in the Department at George Washington University.
Part of what drew the Goodyears to the College were the similarities they saw between the Bowdoin art museum and the Smithsonian.
“In some sense it’s a smaller version of the Smithsonian,” said Anne Goodyear. “Certainly the scale [of the latter] is much larger, but I think there is a similar commitment to excellence.”
As co-directors, the Goodyears will play an integral part in deciding the path that Bowdoin’s museum takes in the coming years. They will be responsible for determining the museum’s budget, staffing, educational opportunities, and developing the collection.
“They fully embrace Bowdoin’s liberal arts mission and the unique role the museum of art plays in advancing that mission,” she said.
First on the Goodyears’ agenda is getting a sense of the Bowdoin community and getting as much public input as they can concerning the museum.
“I think the very first thing we have to do is meet with as many people on campus and people beyond Brunswick as possible and listen to what they have to say,” said Frank Goodyear.
The Goodyears are also open to reaching beyond the walls of the museum to further educate the campus.
“We both have very much enjoyed combining teaching with our curatorial responsibility,” said Anne Goodyear. “We certainly would never rule out teaching. I think it’s something that we love.”
“They are the perfect fit for the museum and for Bowdoin,” said curator Joachim Homann. “We can’t wait to get started!”