You said to me you will not stand down on this. Art is certainly important, but the quality of the education leaders for our children should be primary. We engage, enlighten and inspire individuals, and enrich community through American art of the 20th and 21st centuries. He then deferred to trustee Gary Zahler, who joined the virtual meeting late. asheville art museum board of directors. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. She said the foundation of the museum was not its collections but rather the people who make the everyday possible. Thats absurd, Krider said. Weitzman pressed on after Saenger became the chair, asking for more information on employee complaints, staff exit interviews, and the executive coach that had been brought in for Myers and senior leaders, emails show. The board has stood by Myers, 65, largely crediting her with raising $30 million in a capital campaign that spanned well over a decade. I think they felt threatened anyway, physically, and they were verbally attacked., Saenger allowed Weitzman an opportunity to respond at the board meeting before she was banished. After the vote to remove Weitzman, Saenger said, I would just underscore that its just not appropriate to take things into your own hands. Lori Barber, College of Eastern Idaho. For the record, I am canceling my membership. Asheville Watchdog spoke separately with Weitzman, Lewis, and Krider the day after the event. Zahler mentioned an issue, an apparent reference to employee complaints about Myerss management dating to at least 2015. I believe we are on a solid path forward, Click wrote. However, I have not taught a workshop nor class there in over a year. I never heard anyone speak with such divine right, Krider said. How out of touch & elitist. For the first time, the Asheville Chamber Music Series will present its "Rising Star Series" in conjunction with the Asheville Art Museum. Yeah because ALL THE BOARD CARES ABOUT is all the $$ that she raised, and they care nothing for the underpaid/unpaid small people she bullied and abused over the years. Zahler mentioned an issue, an apparent reference to employee complaints about Myerss management dating to at least 2015. Well certainly take everything you had to say to heart, Michelle, as we always have, Saenger said. It only takes a moment. Which, come to think of it might be precisely what it is ;) anyhoo Stay Tuned!! The selection of objects displayed illustrates how Breslers eye for collecting craft not only draws attention to nature and artists interest in it, but also accentuates her role as a natural collector with an intuitive ability to identify themes and ideas that speak to one another. So we tear down the Vance Monument but leave the Queen of the Glass Palace in place? You said to me you will not stand down on this. How do we get rid of Myers and her bootlickers on the Board? Why are so many who live here in the present so spineless? But some trustees felt the board should do more, such as hire an administrator to run the day-to-day operations and free Myers to focus on fundraising and larger issues. Watchdog has succeeded spectacularly in offering one side of it. Rebel/Re-Belle: Exploring Gender, Agency, and Identity | Selections from the Asheville Art Museum and Rubell Museum combines works from two significant collections of contemporary art to explore how artists have innovated, influenced, interrogated, and inspired visual culture in the past 100 years. Kids under 15 should be allowed in at no cost if art is to be advanced now the fee is $10 for those same aged kids. Open Wednesdays 11am6pm | Reserve tickets now. He then deferred to trustee Gary Zahler, who joined the virtual meeting late. She returned to the group, and Lewis approached Myers. The argument is that she has consistently failed at other very vital parts of her job and the Board has been relatively inefficient at addressing them seriously and effectively. Asheville-born and Raleigh-Durham-based interdisciplinary artist Sherrill Rolands socially driven practice draws upon his experience with wrongful incarceration for a crime he did not commit and seeks to open conversations about how we care for our communities and one another with compassion and understanding. Jazz studies while in Ithaca, NY, opened his ears to. The board has stood by Myers, 65, largely crediting her with raising $30 million in a capital campaign that spanned well over a decade. Museum Members receive 12 months of free general admission. The patron was in her face, not me., Were clear, Saenger replied. Given these extreme circumstances and the weight of whats happening inside that museum, it is clear they are continuing to choose one person over the health of the institution, Reilly said. Youre focusing on me and refusing to focus on the problem, Pams leadership inability, Weitzman said. The board has stood by Myers, 65, largely crediting her with raising $30 million in a capital campaign that spanned well over a decade. Im sorry that having a frank conversation that you didnt want to have seemed like an attack. Museum Members receive 12 months of free general admission. Krider said she felt the response to Lewis was not right and approached Myers a second time. As a long term Asheville Art Museum member, donor, former volunteer, former Gallery Associate, and current Adult Studio instructor, I am little more than an outside observer to the day to day operations of the museum so this story has been revealing. But how does that make the museum Youre in MY house? I liken this behavior to what the vandals are doing defacing the museum, Saenger said. The new director came in Fall of 2014 and since then 31 people have quit. {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}Your submission failed. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. Not hiring an experienced curator sure saves money! Weitzman and the group moved to the first floor, where Myers was standing with trustee Bob Benites. Emails provided by Weitzman show she raised employee concerns beginning in March 2022. Inappropriate behavior? The Museum acknowledges that it is situated upon the ancient, southern Appalachian ancestral homeland of the Cherokee Tribe and that this region is still the home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians today. Weitzman said at the meeting she was being punished for standing up against the mistreatment of employees. We've recently sent you an authentication link. I cautioned you on direct contact with staff, Saenger wrote. They dont want to hear. always works better. Three of the board members who resigned in May, including Huff and Green, told The Watchdog the treatment of employees and the boards response was a factor in their decision to leave. The Asheville Art Museum's vision is to transform lives through art. And I thought that I was the only volunteer ever to be fired. Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. We have never censored or disciplined a trustee for expressing differing views or opinions. She should stick to that. Cons The biggest con of working at the Museum is the Executive Director. Its our responsibility to promote the health of the museum and its mission. Thank you for registering!Please visit My Account to verify and manage your account. I was impressed to know that the leader of an unpaid docent group held a position on the board. For what it is worth, my observation is that departmental staff come and go frequently. Op Ed published on 9/29/13 in the Asheville Citizen Times City Wise to Invest in Museum Expansion. The Museums galleries, theMuseum Store, andPerspective Caf are open to the public. For as little as $5 a month the cost of a craft beer or kombucha you can help keep local journalism strong. Being good at one thing (raising money) does not mean you are good at everything. And Im sorry to say, Michelle, youre no longer on the board. To be banished from the palace on Park Square seems to be a common pathway. Our Story; Guild; Chorus; Symphonettes; Music Director Darko Butorac; Musicians . Every request was honored, Krider said. We should all be grateful for what she has done? She urged her fellow trustees to ask for Myerss resignation and to find a new executive director. She said that former employees had told her, unsolicited, that they were still experiencing nightmares, PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] and continual therapy from their experience working at the museum. Weitzman said she wanted to make clear that she was not the one confronting Myers at the party. This series of stories, with its tone of personal attack, is not helpful, either to the museum or to Asheville Watchdog. The word used by three former staff is traumatic. , Kevin Click, the board vice-chair and a former human resources executive, said in a written response to questions from Asheville Watchdog that Myers has been very positive about the coaching and feedback she is receiving.. Kudos to Michelle Weitzman for the compassion, integrity, and courage she demonstrated as an Asheville Art Museum board member. It sounds like it is time for the board to put Pam in her place as successful fundraiser in chief and keep her away from the rest of the organization. She returned to the group, and Lewis approached Myers. The museum held a member appreciation party Nov. 10, the day after the Watchdog story appeared. Or do you simply disagree with her management style? The Asheville Art Museum's vision is to transform lives through art, and we welcome all visitors without discrimination. I see lawsuits as several laws appear to have been violated. Monica Krider, a realtor, attended as a guest of Gretchen Lewis, who is also a realtor and a museum member. An account was already registered with this email. Leave, I did. I totally agree, David. They dont want to hear. She couldnt have cared less. Asheville Art Museum executive director Pam Myers. Kate Meehan, Idaho National Laboratory. Once the building housed just two organizations, the umbrella organization that operated the building was eliminated, and the existing organizations had direct leases with the City that County support was phased out over a few years. Weitzman was part of a group who had gathered on the second floor to talk when Krider, whom Weitzman said she had just met, said shed like to speak with Pam Myers, according to Weitzman. Pre-purchased online tickets are encouraged; walk-in tickets are also available. "negro dog" "red light" house 4-H Club 10th Cavalry Regiment 50th anniversary 60th anniversary 100th anniversary 135th Regiment 500 block 1619 A.M.E. church A.M.E. Zion A.M.E. Zion Church abandoned building abandoned cemetery abandoned child aboriginal people abortion Abraham Lincoln abuse access road accidental death accidental injury accident . Ste.230, Austin TX 78759 Store Cart ; Toggle search Toggle navigation. Thank you, and stay well! Stop wagging your finger, didnt even notice I was doing it., Krider said all Weitzman did was tell me where Pam was standing and repeat something she had already apparently said that working for her is really difficult or however she worded it.. Krider, according to Weitzman, continued with her rant about a terrible way to run an organization.. I must say I second Nancy Fergusons comment. Grand Opening Celebration, Saturday, Nov. 9, 6-10 p.m., $225 . Warning: Information you find on this page may be outdated or incorrect. Emails provided by Weitzman show she raised employee concerns beginning in March 2022. Late night Thursdays until 9 pm. I had a very disappointing and surprising interaction with Ms. Myers many years ago, when I brought about 30 tribal childrens paintings from India, which I thought she might be interested in as they were part of an initiative to train gifted children to carry on Warli Tribal painting traditions. The salary is probably in line with what other people at that level get paid, and Im sure that there are more than enough private donations to cover her salary so that no tax-payer dollars are used. The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. A renovated and expanded museum opened in 2019 in a glass. I think this is horrible., Zahler added that he was supposed to be making the motion to remove Weitzman, but obviously I got on a little too late I would like to second that motion.. Lewis said that Myers told her, Now is not the time, but did not say when she would be available to speak. Few outside the museum noticed when, this spring, five board members one-fourth of the trustees resigned. Youre no longer a volunteer.. She said that former employees had told her, unsolicited, that they were still experiencing nightmares, PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] and continual therapy from their experience working at the museum. I think they felt threatened anyway, physically, and they were verbally attacked., Saenger allowed Weitzman an opportunity to respond at the board meeting before she was banished. The work environment is beyond toxic, Huff and Green wrote in a 2021 summary. The Asheville Art Museum has been remodeled since my last visit. I liken this behavior to what the vandals are doing defacing the museum, Saenger said. To engage, enlighten, and inspire individuals and enrich community through dynamic experiences in American art of the 20th and 21st centuries. Its also about what it looks like for Asheville, all of us.. Jen passed away on Wednesday, October 19th, 2022, at the age of 46. Myers, the museum's executive director for 27 years, declined to be interviewed by Asheville Watchdog. I think they felt threatened anyway, physically, and they were verbally attacked., Saenger allowed Weitzman an opportunity to respond at the board meeting before she was banished. I was docent president at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and because of this had a seat on the board. Weitzman was the only current trustee who agreed to be interviewed for the Watchdoginvestigative story and was quoted saying the museum looks really pretty on the outside. If you cant discuss the efficacy of an organization and the way things are done as a member of that organizations board of directors, where exactly should one go to have that discussion? But the culture of fear in employees, the morale and the attrition is horrendous., In ticking off Weitzmans pattern of disruptive behavior at Tuesdays board meeting, Saenger, the chair, said, I dont see in any way how this benefits anyone or anything about the museum.. You can . It was just very upsetting to me.. Approved by Board of Directors: January 2014. Its a shame to the city to continue to support these overly entitled people. They orchestrated it all., Weitzman had volunteered at the museum since 2016 and held a seat on the board as president of the Docents Association. The new director came in Fall of 2014 and since then 31 people have quit apparent to... March 2022 experiences in American art of the trustees resigned my membership reference to employee complaints about Myerss dating... 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