Art museums around the country are reimagining their role in society. Traditionally, they have collected, preserved, conserved, and presented what they believe to be the best examples of visual arts. Their role has been more monologue than dialogue, but that is changing. Today, museums are being challenged to expand the notion of who is the gatekeeper and judge of quality, to be in dialogue with their community, to consider who benefits, and to the evaluate the ethics of their operations.
The Wichita Art Museum (WAM) has responded to this challenge by expanding its programs and access in recent years to reach new audiences. An expansive, board-approved commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is advancing these efforts. WAM has significant opportunities ahead that can help this great museum reach its full potential.
As we embark upon a new strategic planning process, WAM should center the following:
• Access to the arts is a right, not a privilege. Every Wichitan deserves access to WAM, but as WAM expands its access through FREE admission to the permanent collection it must remember that barriers are not exclusively financial. Our ability to build trusting relationships with everyone we engage with is critical to our work.
• We want to be part of the solution. We build authentic and trusting relationships with individuals, artists, and community and civic originations who represent the diversity of this region and nation and use the arts as a catalyst for change.
• We will invest in the collection. WAM was founded with a phenomenal collection of art for the City of Wichita, which has grown over the decades. The collection will inspire us to create a dynamic rotation of exhibitions, innovative forms of interpretation and intentional programming so that all who visit WAM can see themselves, as well as windows into other lived experiences.
• We will advance the field. WAM will continue to bring in a diversity of temporary exhibitions, but also advance a diversity of topics in American art history and culture by generating our own traveling exhibitions and publications.
• We will support our local and regional artists and foster the next generation of creatives by providing a platform for exhibition, exchange, and education.
• Culture eats strategy for breakfast. No matter how ambitious or inspirational a strategic plan is, it cannot be achieved without a diverse, inclusive, and collaborative workforce and culture, which will require key investments in staff and internal capacity.
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging will be infused through every aspect of our strategic plan and operation.
Anne Kraybill
The Wichita Art Museum (WAM) brings people, ideas, and American art together to enrich lives and build community. The bequest of Louise Caldwell Murdock and subsequent establishment of the Roland P. Murdock Collection formed the initial impetus for the museum. Mrs. Murdock’s will, written in 1915, specified that the income from her estate, following the death of her closest relatives, should be used for the purchase of art for the City of Wichita—a collection named in memory of her husband, a newspaper publisher. WAM opened in 1935 (the original art deco building is in the center of the current footprint) and from 1935 to 1962, Mrs. Elizabeth Stubblefield Navas, Mrs. Murdock’s friend and business associate, selected works of American art for the museum. Now 12,000 strong, the prized collection emphasizes American art and is nationally recognized for its distinction.
Today, WAM is a partnership between the nonprofit WAM, Inc. and the City of Wichita. The City provides approximately $2 million of the annual budget of $4.8 million and owns/maintains the facility and grounds. WAM operates with 17 full-time, 29 part-time, and 100+ volunteers. In addition to its distinguished collection with 12,000+ artworks, the 8-acre Art Garden surrounding WAM opened in 2015 and extends art outside with 13 sculptures serving as an outdoor arts space for the surrounding community.
The population of the City of Wichita (2021) is 395,699; the metropolitan statistical area has a population of 647,919, with 14% of Hispanic origin and 8% of African American descent.
1 Security: there is a lack of a secure separation between public and non-public areas in particular the lower level of the museum that contains art storage rooms, the loading dock and staff offices. This level is easily accessible via the passenger elevators.
2 Staffing: During the last reaccreditation in 2008 the museum had 24 FT and 10–15 PT staff. Since that time, the number of FT staff has remained at 24 while PT staff have increased to 28. Given the growth in collections and the museum’s ambitions (exhibitions, programming, greater community engagement), staff are clearly stretched thin.
• An engaged, supportive, and diverse board of trustees
• Quality and scope of collection with a focus on American art
• Significant ongoing operating and capital funding from the City of Wichita
• A new and extremely capable director with a vision to take the museum to the next level
• A small but passionate and dedicated staff
• Ongoing support from the Friends of the Wichita Art Museum
• Ongoing active and strong engagement from community partners
• An institution-wide commitment to DEI and to showcasing diverse American cultures
• Commitment to diversifying the permanent collection
• A beautifully landscaped Art Garden that surrounds the museum building
• Strong financial management and a $3M cash reserve
• Insufficient separation between public and non-public area
• Outdated security/camera systems
• Lack of significant growth in the operating budget to support the ambitions of the museum
• Fundraising efforts that are more event-driven rather than focused on long-term cultivation
• A staff that is stretched thin
• An Art Garden that currently does not encourage visitors to linger
• Lack of a consistent interpretive strategy, educational philosophy and goals
• Insufficient representation of the collection online and incomplete metadata for search
• Current lack of a measurable and detailed fundraising plan and marketing plan
• No capturing of on-site visitor data and insufficient data of participation in education/community engagement programs
• Lack of diversity of the museum staff and docent corps
• Potentially overlapping fundraising efforts by the museum and the Friends
• Persisting perception that the museum is for the affluent
• Wayfinding in the museum is difficult for a first-time visitor
5 = strongly agree; 4 = agree; 3 = neutral; 2 = disagree; 1 = strongly disagree
I understand the roles and responsibilities of being a board member.
The Board focuses on its governance role while delegating day-to-day management to staff leadership.
I am involved in at least one board committee and make it a priority to bring my skills to that role.
I understand the mission of the organization.
I find board service fulfilling and worthwhile.
I receive timely and relevant information that allows me to make informed decisions.
I understand the impact the organization seeks to have.
I am confident in how to represent the organization to potential members, donors, volunteers, and the wider community.
The Board has a culture of openness, candor and respect.
The Board’s size, experience, skills and resources are adequate to support the organization’s aspirations.
The Board has the appropriate committees to get the work done and they are functioning well. I regularly visit the museum galleries and attend museum-sponsored events.
I believe the organization is making good progress toward its goals. My personal skills and experience are well utilized on this board.
The Board regularly monitors progress toward organizational goals.
The Board understands the finances of the organization and acts appropriately to ensure its fiscal health.
The organization has a strategic plan that provides a clear and ambitious, yet realistic, roadmap. The Board consistently considers the needs of the Wichita community in its decision making. Board meetings are focused on the issues that are most important to the long-term success of the organization.
I understand and participate in the board nominating process.
My annual gift ranks in the top tier of my giving priorities.
I believe the organization does a good job communicating its mission.
The Board has an effective and welcoming orientation process for new members.
The Board reflects the diversity of the community.
We have an effective process for selecting board officers.
The Board is actively involved in achieving fundraising goals.
4.73 4.54 4.46 4.42 4.38 4.38 4.35 4.23 4.23 4.19 4.08 3.96 3.96 3.92 3.92 3.88 3.85 3.85 3.81 3.73 3.54 3.50 3.31 3.31 3.12 2.88
Board: Most important issues or opportunities the organization must address
• Developing a clear message from the museum to welcome the community
• Growing awareness across multiple generations, through methods that attract more people
• Boosting membership through a more engaging and consistent experience
• Improving the welcome for visitors
• Growing outreach to all parts of the community
Exhibitions, Programming & Collections (7 total comments)
• Hosting high visibility exhibits periodically to attract more visitors
• Taking WAM’s impact far beyond the physical footprint it occupies
• Building and refining the collection
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (6 comments)
• Diversifying outreach to attract greater diversity of people who regularly attend WAM and view art as transformative
• Implementing diversity, equity and inclusion policies to open up WAM to the community and have the community embrace the museum
• Utilizing diverse board members for vetting partnerships
Facility (5 total comments)
• Building a new facility on our existing footprint
• Improving the experience (including front door, galleries, food service, etc.)
Fundraising (4 total comments)
• Building greater investment
Staffing (3 total comments)
• Building and developing staff
Education (1 comment)
• Developing solid education goals for all ages with data to benchmark engagement
Board development (1 comment)
• Pairing experienced board members with new board members
Board: Way the board can be most effective in the next few years
• Advocate and champion WAM by opening networks, bringing guests to events, sharing info on social media, etc.
• Diversify the board so we represent our entire community (racial, gender, age, etc.), balancing need for diversity with perception that we need the “old money” represented.
• Create more opportunities for dialogue and for active involvement at board meetings.
• Provide more significant support for fundraising.
• Support the staff.
• Add non-members for specific committees that can bring additional reach / skills.
• Build inclusive board practices (i.e., use of pronouns).
Black or African American
African American Hispanic, Latino, Latina, or Latinx White Other Prefer not to answer No answer
Gender Man Woman Prefer not to answer
Sexual orientation Gay
Straight/heterosexual Prefer not to answer
In which range is your annual salary/gross income?
Less than $100,000 $100,000 to $499,999 $500,000 to $999,999
$50,000,000 to $999,999,999 Prefer not to answer
Are you transgender? No Prefer not to answer
Do you have a disability? No Prefer not to answer
With what religious background, if any, do you most identify?
Agnostic Atheist Catholic Eastern Orthodox Jewish Protestant None Prefer not to answer
What is the highest formal education level you have earned?
Bachelor’s degree (e.g. BA, BS)
I prefer not to answer
Master’s degree (e.g. MLS/MLIS, MA, MS, MEd, MSW, MBA)
Professional degree beyond a bachelor’s degree (e.g. MD, DDS, DVM, LLB, JD)
Are/were you a first-generation college student? (first in your family to go to college) No Yes
Staff: 20 responses
5 = strongly agree; 4 = agree; 3 = neutral; 2 = disagree; 1 = strongly disagree
I understand the mission and vision of the organization.
I am confident in how to represent the organization to potential members, donors, volunteers, and the wider community.
I understand the impact the organization seeks.
My personal skills and experience are well utilized on this staff.
I believe the organization is making good progress toward its goals.
The organization’s aspirations are well articulated and widely understood.
I believe the organization does a good job communicating its mission.
The organization has a culture of openness, candor and respect.
The staff consistently considers the needs of the Wichita community in its decision making.
The staff regularly monitors progress toward organizational goals.
The staff understand the finances of the organization and acts appropriately to ensure its fiscal health.
The staff reflects the diversity of the community.
The staff size is adequate to accomplish the priorities of the museum.
Staff: Most important issues or opportunities the organization must address
• Understaffing in most departments
• Competitive pay and staff benefits
• Internal communications and culture, cooperation between departments
• Separation of HR and finances
• Increasing diversity of staff and board
• True adherence to our DEI policy and greater DEI training
• Working on diversity in the culture of museum as well as art on display
• Involving more staff and community voices in decision making
• Changing WAM’s public perception to vibrant, relevant, dynamic and fun
4.30
4.10 4.00 3.70 3.60 3.25 3.25 3.25 3.10 3.05 3.05 2.35 1.85
• Engagement of more Wichitans, including serving those not able to physically come to WAM
• Increasing and diversifying visitors through creative means
• Improved communications with public Program & Facility
• Shifting focus more to art than events
• Facility: functionality, going green
Finances
• City relationship
• Endowment campaign
Museum Wichita Art Museum
Tacoma Art Museum
Telfair Museum of Art SAVANNAH
Joslyn Art Museum OMAHA
Philbrook Museum of Art TULSA
Birmingham Museum of Art
McNay Art Museum SAN ANTONIO
San Antonio Museum of Art
Crocker Art Museum SACRAMENTO
San Diego Museum of Art
Columbus Museum of Art
Amon Carter Museum of American Art FORT WORTH
Cincinnati Art Museum Baltimore Museum of Art
Total Attendance 81,524 65,046 187,549 193,215 162,316 113,133 139,283 118,487 258,997 352,848 297,383 107,037 253,935 246,188
Square Footage 91,247 78,696 91,647 213,000 113,455 164,200 112,035 127,777 161,800 132,441 146,682 108,000 273,713 215,187
# FTE 36 45 60 71 97 82 91 85 76 88 120 103 160 157
2019 Budget $4,106,810 $4,515,367 $5,784,500 $6,320,500 $7,376,517 $7,400,000 $9,024,593 $9,241,507 $10,042,918 $10,325,212 $10,698,727 $13,567,950 $13,736,559 $15,685,889
$ on Wages $1,923,987 $2,046,957 $2,417,500 $3,241,841 $3,884,729 $4,042,000 $3,537,623 $3,558,235 $3,152,035 $4,627,985 $4,468,005 $6,214,793 $6,223,024 $6,759,246
% of Budget 46.85% 45.33% 41.79% 51.29% 52.66% 54.62% 39.20% 38.50% 31.39% 44.82% 41.76% 45.80% 45.30% 43.09%
Museum Wichita Art Museum
Tacoma Art Museum
Telfair Museum of Art
SAVANNAH
Joslyn Art Museum OMAHA
Philbrook Museum of Art TULSA
Birmingham Museum of Art
McNay Art Museum
SAN ANTONIO
San Antonio Museum of Art
Crocker Art Museum SACRAMENTO
San Diego Museum of Art
Columbus Museum of Art
Amon Carter Museum of American Art FORT WORTH
Cincinnati Art Museum Baltimore Museum of Art
Endowment $8,645,660 $27,215,280 $27,058,000 $35,057,528 $40,137,822 $20,288,000 $50,753,791 $52,944,218 $28,998,400 $72,401,344 $30,588,071 $32,546,551 $144,834,204 $115,482,884
Contributed Rev $549,401 $1,995,879 $2,542,000 $4,124,193 $2,300,993 $5,956,000 $5,011,300 $2,767,686 $4,149,731 $3,267,114 $6,671,874 $24,653,618 $6,840,428 $8,523,717
% of Budget 13.38% 44.20% 43.95% 65.25% 31.19% 80.49% 55.53% 29.95% 41.32% 31.64% 62.36% 181.70% 49.80% 54.34%
Revenue from Members $238,330 $211,567 $225,000 $149,817 $836,588 $749,000 $617,977 $258,496 $1,813,720 $1,107,657 $288,680 $657,203 $455,672 $1,755,021
# of Member Households 2,085 1,810 4,010 3,635 4,631 3,763 3,871 3,955 13,357 6,118 7,491 1,423 6,754 5,825
City Population 395,699 219,205 147,088 487,300 411,401 197,575 1,452,000 1,452,000 525,041 1,382,000 906,528 935,508 308,935 576,498
• WAM’s contributed giving is very low in comparison to other art museums.
• Staffing percentage of budget is comparable, but WAM has the smallest amount of staff and smallest budget in comparison to other art museums.
• We have significant potential to increase our visitation based on population. Note others, like Telfair, have large tourist visitation. WAM must focus on its residents as well as visitors.
