Indianapolis Museum of Art Blog

6 years ago, I stood in a classroom on the campus of Indiana University and gave a presentation on the marketing department of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. A first year graduate student pursuing my master’s degree in Arts Administration, I was enrolled in a course called Arts Marketing and Audience Development. As part of that course we were required to analyze the marketing program of an arts organization that we admired. Significantly, I chose to do my class project on the IMA.

I’m not going to bore you with the over-confident analysis outlined in my paper. (I’m embarrassed at how much I thought I knew.) Nor will I link to my power point presentation. (I was a bit obsessed with animation and clip art). However, I will provide you with the final lines of my paper:

In the heart of the Midwest, the IMA is at a crossroads. The museum must shift from the modes of the last century to a marketing model that makes sense in this increasingly interconnected and competitive world. The marketing department of the Indianapolis Museum of Art must look beyond its peers in the museum field and use the lessons of the for-profit world in order to stay relevant. I am convinced that only when the IMA creates a world-class marketing department to accompany their world-class art collection will they be able to become a leader in the field.

It’s amazing to consider the perspective that time and experience can provide. I’m lucky to have been part of the museum during the last few years. From an ambitious building project to a rebranding campaign, from the introduction of Maxwell Anderson to the departure of many traditional management and communication models, the IMA has seen its fair-share of change since I began less than 3 and a half years ago. I’ve experienced a wealth of successes and challenges as a member of the IMA staff. No marketing class or even master’s degree could have prepared me for the experiences I have shared with my colleagues. As I look back on the museum I analyzed as a student it in no way resembles the museum I work for now. Sure many of the faces are the same, but the building, the brand and the IMA culture are all completely new.

In retrospect the thing that is the most remarkable to me, the thing that I never could have recognized as a graduate student is that this place is like a family. That’s why this week is especially difficult for me. Tomorrow is my last day at the museum. I’m leaving for a position at the Guggenheim. It’s a bittersweet decision. I love the IMA. I love our mission. I love the work that we do, and most of all, I love the people. As a girl from Southern Indiana, I’m proud that the state has access to such an amazing cultural organization, and I’m proud to have contributed to its mission.

• Tags: Art, Family, Guggenheim, Meg Liffick, Mission
 

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 9:53 am and is filed under Marketing, Musings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.