With her recent appointment as executive director, Susan Warner will occupy the top administrative and curatorial positions at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington.
In October 2011, a search for a curator ended when then-deputy director Susan Warner was named as the chief curator of the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington. Then, in January 2012, she was tapped again when Tim Close resigned his post of executive director of the museum. Warner was named “acting director” of the museum while a search was mounted for Close’s successor. Last week, the announcement was made: “The Board of Trustees of the Museum of Glass announces the appointment of Susan Warner as Executive Director/Curator effective March 20, 2012,” read a press release.
“We are very pleased that Susan has agreed to step into the role of Museum of Glass director,” said board chairman Steve Loeb in a prepared statement. “Susan knows the institution better than anyone and she is the ideal candidate to lead the organization as we enter into our second decade of service. She has continually demonstrated her ability to inspire and engage Museum visitors, supporters, artists and staff during her tenure at MOG, and the Board is confident that she is the best person to move the institution forward.”
Warner’s tenure at the museum stretches back 11 years. She joined the staff as director of eductation in 2001, and was appointed director of public programs in 2006, which gave her oversight of the curatorial, educational, and glass demonstration areas of operations.
Whether Warner will continue to be responsible for so many areas of the museum remains to be seen. “We are in the process of reassessing the internal organizational structure at this time and will redistribute some of Susan’s current responsibilities,” said Loeb in a prepared statement.
Prior the Museum of Glass, Warner served as director of education at the Seattle Children’s Museum. Her curatorial experience, aside from her six months to date serving as curator of the Museum of Glass, was primarily earned during a stint as curator of education at the State Capital Museum in Olympia and as assistant curator and curator of decorative arts at the Dayton Art Institute, though her early work experience included work in collection management and exhibition development. Born in Geita, Tanzania, Warner earned a BA in history from Southampton University in England, and an MA in Education from Antioch University in Seattle.
“I am truly honored to assume the role of Executive Director and thank the Board of Trustees and the community for all their incredible support over the years,” said Warner in a prepared statement. “In this, our tenth year, we are excited to begin the process of strategizing our next decade of service in dialogue with our local, national and international audiences and constituents.”