[BCMA] Royal BC Museum Appoints New CEO

Fri Jan 13 16:06:23 PST 2012

So now we have four (4) massive undertakings for funds in western Canada to either build or expand major museums:
  a.. Vancouver Art Gallery  est. $350 - 500 million  [Vancouver]
  b.. Canadian Museum of Human Rights est. $315 - 450 million  [Winnipeg]
  c.. Royal Alberta Museum  est. $275 - 350 million  [Edmonton]
  d.. Royal BC Museum  est. >$250 million  [Victoria]
Taking the aggregate of only the lowest estimates, we see the demand is for $1,190, 000, 000 - a little shy of two billion dollars!

(I also note that UBC is presently on the hunt for $1.5B; who knows what the entirety of all the western universities is pursuing as expansion monies? The pharaohs would've been awestruck by such cravings for grandeur).

Back to our four big museums: one has proven lackluster in its holdings (VAG): a second won't have any holdings at all (CMHR): another wants to trade a terrific location on the banks of the North Saskatchewan for a downtown mall (RAM); the fourth has plenty of room inside to carry out its mandate - if it stops flirting with peddling internationally-made commercial travelling "blockbuster" displays, often at a loss [RBCM].

We can wish Mr.Lohman the best. He certainly appears to have a background suitable for large scale fundraising and building design applied to museums.

Meanwhile, however, who will raise the funds needed to keep the other museums in BC open and operating, far less expanding?

Dan Gallacher

 ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv. 
  To: Communication, RBCM RBCM:EX 
  Sent: Friday, January 13, 2012 7:32 AM
  Subject: [BCMA] Royal BC Museum Appoints New CEO

  Hello, 

  Please find attached and below an announcement on the appointment of a new CEO for the Royal BC Museum.  As well, a biography and an image are attached.  Interview opportunities will be available in April, 2012 after the new CEO begins.  

  Cheers, 

  David Alexander

  NEWS RELEASE

  January 13, 2012

  Royal BC Museum Appoints Jack Lohman as New CEO 

  Victoria, BC - The Royal BC Museum Board of Directors has named British cultural leader and scholar Jack Lohman as the organization's new Chief Executive Officer. He will assume his new position on March 26, 2012.

  Lohman, Director of the Museum of London since 2002, will succeed retiring CEO Pauline Rafferty, who has led the Royal BC Museum for the past 10 years.

  "London's loss is British Columbia's gain," said John Williams, Chair of the Royal BC Museum Board of Directors. "Jack has extensive international experience in building great museums and providing strong leadership in the cultural sector. He has the qualities and skills to lead the Royal BC Museum into its next chapter of growth."

  "The Royal BC Museum is highly regarded as one of Canada's great cultural treasures. I am delighted to join its distinguished staff at a time of new development and to ensure the Museum reaches the widest possible audiences," said Lohman. 

  "The platform for developing the Royal BC Museum as a great and unique cultural asset is huge. Its extraordinary location, collections and expertise provide an opportunity to push out onto a national and international arena and share the important stories it tells," he added.

  Lohman joins the Royal BC Museum at an exciting time as it prepares to welcome two major international touring exhibitions, open its first-ever seasonal satellite museum gallery at the Wing Sang in Vancouver, and continues the major revitalization plan for its two hectare cultural precinct in downtown Victoria.

  "Jack's broad background in architecture and conservation will be very beneficial as the Royal BC Museum moves into the important architectural design phase of our revitalization," Williams added.

  At the Museum of London Lohman directed a five-year, £20million ($32 million Cdn) redevelopment that culminated in May 2010 with the opening of five spectacular new interactive galleries. 

  A seasoned fundraiser, Lohman also looks forward to working with the Royal BC Museum Foundation on their successful fundraising efforts. 

  Prior to his post in London, he was the CEO of the Iziko Museums of Cape Town, an organization consisting of 15 national museums including the South African Museum, the South African Maritime Museum and the South African National Gallery. During his time there, Lohman led the creation of a new museum institution and transformed the national museum sector.

  Lohman currently teaches Museum Design and Communication at the Bergen National Academy of the Arts in Norway. He is also editor in chief of UNESCO's publication series Museums and Diversity.

  After studying History of Art at the University of East Anglia, Lohman was awarded a scholarship to read architecture at the Freien Universitat in Berlin and later obtained an MA at the University of Manchester. He went on to win a British Council Fellowship Award to study Architecture and Conservation in Warsaw.

  "On behalf of the entire Board and Royal BC Museum community, I want to thank Pauline Rafferty for her exceptional leadership and passion in connecting the provincial museum and the provincial archives with British Columbians and visitors from around the world," said Williams. "After 35 years of public service, we wish her all the best for a long and fulfilling retirement with her family."

  About the Royal BC Museum 

  As the provincial museum and archives, the Royal BC Museum preserves and shares the stories of British Columbia - on-site, off-site and online - through its research, collections, exhibitions, publications and educational programs. Its two-hectare cultural precinct in Victoria also includes a number of historically significant buildings and First Nations sites; and its seasonal satellite museum gallery in Vancouver showcases B.C.'s history in one of the oldest buildings in Chinatown - Wing Sang. 

  For more information about the Royal BC Museum, visit www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca or call 
  1-888-447-7977.

  -30-

  Media contact:

  Royal BC Museum Media Enquiries

  250-387-3207

  news at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca

  Biography: Jack Lohman

  Born in London of Polish parents, Jack Lohman was educated at the University of East Anglia where he studied History of Art. He was awarded a scholarship to read architecture at the Freien Universitat in Berlin and later obtained an MA at the University of Manchester. He went on to win a British Council Fellowship Award to study Architecture and Conservation in Warsaw.

  Prior to joining the Royal BC Museum as CEO, Jack Lohman was the Director of the Museum of London, a post he held since 2002. Here he led the £20million ($32 million Cdn) redevelopment of the Museum's Galleries of Modern London which opened in May 2010. The Museum of London cares for more than two million objects in its collection, holds an extensive public archives, and attracts over 400,000 visitors per year. 

  From 1999-2002, Jack Lohman was the CEO of the Iziko Museums of Cape Town, an organization consisting of 15 national museums including the South African Museum, the South African Maritime Museum and the South African National Gallery. During his time there, Lohman led the creation of a new museum institution and transformed the national museum sector.

  He is an advisor to the Museum of Slavery in Qatar and the Institute for National Museums of Rwanda. He currently teaches Museum Design and Communication at the Bergen National Academy of the Arts in Norway and is also editor in chief of UNESCO's publication series Museums and Diversity.

  He is a former Chairman of the National Museum in Warsaw, Poland, a former Chairman of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) UK 2002-2008, and a former member of the UK National Commission for UNESCO Culture Committee 2002-2010. 

  Jack Lohman began his career in media and communications, first as Director of TVC Ltd., an award-winning film and audio-visual production company, and then as Director of MET Studio, a multi-disciplinary design consultancy based in London, Singapore and Hong Kong.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  _______________________________________________
  BCMA mailing list
  BCMA at lists.vvv.com
  http://lists.vvv.com/mailman/listinfo/bcma
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.vvv.com/pipermail/bcma/attachments/20120113/5f229f2d/attachment.htm 