Smithsonian American Art Museum’s director removed following staff complaints

The Smithsonian Establishment has eliminated Stephanie Stebich, beforehand the director of the Smithsonian American Artwork Museum (SAAM) in Washington, DC, from her function following years of complaints from employees members relating to her “poisonous” administration of the museum. Stebich was moved to a senior advisory function in September, working with Kevin Gover, the Smithsonian’s undersecretary for museums and tradition.

Stebich’s reassignment was first reported by The Washington Put up, which discovered that members of the Smithsonian’s board of commissioners realized in regards to the allegations in opposition to Stebich final yr and rapidly requested Stebich’s removing from her function as director. The request was contested by a number of senior-level employees members, together with Gover. Some board members additionally threatened to resign if Stebich was eliminated.

Contacted for remark, a spokesperson for the Smithsonian tells The Artwork Newspaper that the establishment “doesn’t subject press releases when a director is transferred to a different division of the Smithsonian” and that “the Put up story is correct”.

Stebich was appointed director of SAAM in 2017 and beforehand served because the director of the Tacoma Artwork Museum in Washington, the place she spearheaded vital capital campaigns that boosted the museum’s campus, operations and collections. Nonetheless, former Smithsonian curator Virginia Mecklenburg—who was demoted beneath Stebich—claims that Stebich was “an inexperienced director for an establishment the scale and complexity of SAAM”, in line with the Put up report.

Stebich oversaw round 140 employees and managers, some who anonymously described “an environment of concern and recrimination”, and alleged that Stebich “publicly rebuked employees” and “gave contradictory directions and at instances modified abruptly, disrupting routines and processes”. Stebich additionally “blamed employees for her errors, berating folks in conferences”, and is accused of inflicting rivalries between curators.

The Smithsonian introduced on administration consultants and an govt coach to work with Stebich after reviewing declining worker satisfaction surveys over time, though there have been no noticeable enhancements in her conduct. Final yr, consultants held a digital train with over 100 employees members to discover their issues, by which employees members fed a phrase cloud that ultimately grew to become dominated with the phrases “poisonous director”. A letter of grievance was later submitted outlining employees dissatisfaction.

Stebich advised employees she was taking indefinite medical go away in July. Her reassignment was introduced in August in an inside electronic mail by the Smithsonian’s secretary, Lonnie G. Bunch III, who oversees all personnel selections for senior-level employees members. Bunch wrote that the “Smithsonian and SAAM have benefited from Stephanie’s ardour, dedication and creativity”.

Stebich was allegedly popular with board members and had raised greater than $100m for the establishment. She achieved a collection of notable milestones throughout her tenure, together with spearheading a fiftieth anniversary acquisition marketing campaign for the Renwick Gallery and organising a sturdy touring exhibition programme. She additionally oversaw the reinstallation of SAAM’s fashionable and up to date artwork galleries final yr, which sought to present a extra expansive view of American artwork by the inclusion of extra Bipoc (Black, Indigenous and folks of color) and LGBTQ+ artists.

Stebich has not commented on the function change or the latest allegations. Jane Carpenter-Rock, the deputy director for museum content material and outreach, has been appointed the performing director of the museum and the seek for a everlasting alternative is underway.