S2:E5 What's in a name? – Linda C. Harrison in conversation with Adrian Ellis
Guest
Linda C. Harrison
In conversation with
Adrian Ellis
Key Takeaways Contributor
Stephanie Fortunato
In this episode, our host Adrian Ellis speaks with Linda C. Harrison, Director & CEO, about her bold leadership agenda to transform the Newark Museum of Art into a relational organisation that not merely sits in, but belongs to its community. They discuss the evolution in the Museum’s organisational culture instigated by Linda, both internally and externally – from a significant name change, to an ambitious real estate development plan that aims to diversify income as well as to support downtown Newark’s emergence as a vibrant creative hub.
After, Adrian is joined by fellow host Stephanie Fortunato to discuss key takeaways. They reflect on the benefits of hiring cultural leaders from outside the sector, and the need to build an organisational culture that actively embraces cultural change.
Date of Recording
10 February 2022
Date of Publication
28 April 2022
[00:00:00]
[THEME MUSIC]
[00:00:05]
Adrian Ellis: Hello, and welcome to The Three Bells. This podcast is one of a series brought to you by AEA Consulting and The Binnacle Foundation for the Global Cultural Districts Network, in which we explore what's happening around the world on those busy and sometimes congested intersections of cultural and urban life.
The series and supporting materials can be found at www.thethreebells.net. And if you like our content, please subscribe and give us a positive review on your podcast listening platform of choice.
I'm Adrian Ellis, Chair of GCDN, and today our guest on this podcast is Linda Harrison, director and CEO of The Newark Museum of Art. And I'm thrilled, Linda, that you've agreed to both join the Global Cultural Districts Network or for the Museum of Art to join. And also, the privilege of exploring the very interesting agenda that you are developing for the institution.
So Linda, thank you for coming in, welcome.
[00:01:03]
Linda Harrison: Well, thank you, Adrian, for having me. I'm very excited to not only be a part of this network but I'm honoured that you wanted to talk with me on a couple of issues today. So, this is wonderful.
…
External Links
The Museum of the African Diaspora is a contemporary art museum in San Francisco that celebrates Black cultures, showcases the rich stories and cultures of Africans who have migrated throughout the world.
The City of Newark is New Jersey’s largest city and its industrial centre.
The Newark Museum of Art is New Jersey’s largest museum that holds fine collections of American art, decorative arts, contemporary art, and arts of Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the ancient world.
John Cotton Dana is the founding director of the Newark Museum of Art. Together with a group of public officials, prominent businessmen and local collectors, he established the Museum in 1909 at the Newark Public Library.
Museum Parc is Newark Museum of Art’s real estate development strategy. It consists of two apartment buildings – a six story structure with 90 units and an art gallery on the first floor, and a 12-story high-rise with 2,400 square-feet of retail space on the ground. 50 of the residential units will be set aside as affordable housing.
Peter Drucker is an influential Austrian-American author, mentor and consultant, and is also known as the founder of modern management.
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) is one of the anchor cultural institutions for the city of Newark and the state of New Jersey
Talent Justice Initiative is an initiative by Fund the People, that helps funders and nonprofits invest to advance intersectional racial equity in the nonprofit workforce
About Our Speakers
Linda C. Harrison is the Director & CEO of the Newark Museum of Art – a large, complex, urban museum campus. Strengthened by her experience outside the cultural sector, Linda plays a strategic and unifying role for the organisation and the city of Newark. She lectures at seminars and workshops across the country to organisations developing new strategies to advance their business. She was previously Director and CEO of the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco. +
Adrian Ellis is the founder of AEA Consulting (1990) and the Global Cultural Districts Network (2013). He has worked in senior management and as a board member in both museums and the performing arts and as a strategy consultant to leading clients in the cultural, public, and business sectors around the world. +
Stephanie Fortunato is Director of Special Projects of the Global Cultural Districts Network. Her expertise sits at the intersection of cultural planning and urban development, collaborating with local communities on creating policies and partnerships to strengthen neighbourhoods and transform public spaces. +
