For Immediate Release
October 13, 2006
Contact: Corey Cronin 781/259-3628, ccronin@decordova.org
Director Paul Master-Karnik Resigns from DeCordova
Lincoln, MA—DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park announced the resignation of Director Paul Master-Karnik yesterday after more than 22 years at the helm of this leading contemporary art museum. Master-Karnik is leaving the Museum to pursue other challenges in the museum field. “I have immensely enjoyed my long association with the Museum and having basically accomplished my vision for DeCordova, it is now time to move on,” said Master-Karnik. He will remain at DeCordova until June 30, 2007 to ensure a smooth transfer of information.
Since arriving in 1984, Master-Karnik has led DeCordova to new curatorial heights. In addition to working with the Museum’s Curators on exhibitions, he initiated a series of curatorial programs to further strengthen DeCordova’s commitment to New England contemporary artists. The DeCordova Annual Exhibition (formerly titled Artist/Visions) series now in its eighteenth year, features works by emerging artists and provides an annual snapshot of regional talent.
Master-Karnik’s leadership ensured that DeCordova played a critical role in preserving today's regional art for future generations. With over 3,300 works in its holdings, the Museum features an important Permanent Collection of New England contemporary art. In 1995, it established a $1.3 million Art Acquisition Fund. With the establishment of this endowment, DeCordova has become more pro-active in its acquisitions of contemporary artwork. Prior to this fund, money had to be raised each time an artwork was purchased, and most works for the collection were acquired through generous gifts from collectors and artists. Although the Art Acquisition Fund has allowed the Curators to more aggressively pursue artworks, the Museum continues to rely on donations from collectors and artists.
In addition to these activities, Master-Karnik augmented DeCordova’s position as the region's foremost presenter of modern and contemporary American sculpture by adopting an ambitious program of expansion and continuous renewal. DeCordova currently offers the only permanent public sculpture park in New England, which Master-Karnik began soon after his arrival. During his tenure, Master-Karnik changed the public name of the Museum from the DeCordova and Dana Museum and Park to the current DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park to more accurately reflect the importance of the outdoor exhibition area. Close to 80 modern and contemporary works grace the 35-acre site. The Museum’s Sculpture Terrace serves as an open air gallery for exhibitions by nationally recognized sculptors.
The Sculpture Park has been transformed under Master-Karnik’s leadership. First, Alice’s Garden, a separate and intimate space within the Park opened in 2000, ties the main lawns to the watershed area of the property and provides scenic views of Flint’s Pond. More recently, the Sculpture Park was completely transformed in 2005 to provide improved visitor experiences while preserving – and improving – the natural beauty of the Park.
During Master-Karnik’s tenure the Rappaport Prize was created in 2000, a collaborative initiative of the Jerome Lyle Rappaport Charitable Foundation and the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park. The annual award of $25,000 is made to a contemporary American artist. The Prize is foremost an investment in both an individual and the broader community. For the artist, it reflects recognition of his/her abilities, talent, and future promise. For the community it reflects the importance of art to encourage the value of creativity within the region.
When Master-Karnik arrived in 1984, the Museum’s educational programming consisted of a complex of four studio buildings to accommodate an expanded educational program and to meet the equipment and instructional needs of a professional studio art curriculum; today DeCordova has seven studios. With nearly 3,500 students taking classes each year, the Museum now has the largest non-degree granting studio art program in the state and offers semester-long classes and workshops to adults, teens, children, and families.
Under his tenure, the Museum’s educational programming has grown significantly. In addition to an ongoing slate of public tours of the galleries and the Sculpture Park led by trained museum guides, artist talks are held on Saturday afternoons. DeCordova also offers a robust slate of family programming, including the Eye Wonder Family Days, and the very popular Art in the Park Art Sale and Festival. Dr. Kenneth Germeshausen Art ExperienCenter also opened during Master-Karnik’s directorship. This gallery provides an interactive educational experience for visitors of all ages and enables them to use DeCordova’s permanent collection as a basis for understanding non-representational art. The Museum has also turned one of its spaces into the Process Gallery. Near the main exhibition gallery, this room reveals the creative processes for many of the artists featured in special exhibitions.
“Through all of this growth and accomplishment, DeCordova has benefited from a dedicated, expert professional staff and Board of Trustees with whom I am privileged to have worked,” said Master-Karnik.
Master-Karnik also led the Museum to tremendous growth in its fundraising efforts. In 1998, DeCordova completed The New Century Campaign for DeCordova, an $8 million effort to upgrade its aging physical plant. The Museum modernized and expanded its educational facilities, including the construction of a new studio, a store, and a gallery dedicated to exhibitions by Museum School instructors and students. DeCordova extensively renovated its main galleries, adding climate control, a café, and a library. DeCordova also expanded its exhibition space by building a 20,000 square foot addition, which includes a Sculpture Roof Terrace that provides breath-taking views of the Park. This new wing completed the facility master plan that was designed by architects Kallmann McKinnell & Wood of Boston, who also designed the School Gallery building and the renovated Museum main galleries.
More recently, Master-Karnik oversaw the successful completion of the first phase of Securing the Future: The Fund for DeCordova. This capital campaign has transformed the Sculpture Park. In 2005, a new entryway and roadway along with amphitheater steps were created to provide better visitor access while enhancing natural vistas and creating clearer pathways to view the artworks. All of this effort has improved the visitor experience and has provided a cohesive approach to exploring the Park. DeCordova continues to quietly fundraise for the second phase, which will support the addition of a conservation and collections storage wing.
The Museum’s overall financial picture has been very healthy under Master-Karnik’s leadership during the past 20 years. The Museum’s operating budget has grown from $900,000 in 1986 to nearly $5.2 million today. The Museum’s Membership, numbered 1,600 at the beginning of Master-Karnik’s tenure, now stands at 3,800 members. In addition, the Museum’s endowment was just under $4 million in 1986 and has more than doubled under his leadership to nearly $10 million.
“Paul Master-Karnik’s vision has built DeCordova into what it is today, a distinguished museum of modern and contemporary American art,” said Board of Trustee Chair Melissa Meyer. “Under his leadership, DeCordova has grown from a small community institution to one with national prominence.”
Master-Karnik is only the third director to lead DeCordova. In 1949, the Trustees hired MFA School of Art graduate Frederick P. Walkey to lead the institution as its founding director; he stayed until 1979. David H. Katzive led the Museum from 1981 to 1982.
DeCordova’s Board of Trustees is in the process of retaining a recruiting firm and will undertake a national search for a new Director.
General Information
DeCordova Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm and on selected Monday holidays. General Campus admission during Museum hours is $9 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, students, and youth ages 6–12. Children age 5 and under, Lincoln residents, and Active Duty Military Personnel and their dependents are admitted free. The Sculpture Park is open year round during daylight hours. The Store @ DeCordova and the School Gallery are open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am to 7:30 pm, Friday through Saturday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Sunday 10:30 am to 5:30 pm. The Café @ DeCordova is open Tuesday from noon to 3 pm, and Wednesday through Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm. Guided public tours of the Museum's main galleries take place every Thursday at 1 and Sunday at 2 pm; these are free with Campus admission. Guided tours of the Sculpture Park are given on Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm from May to October; these are free with Campus admission. DeCordova has been accredited by the American Association of Museums since 1974. Visit www.decordova.org or call 781/259-8355 for further information.
