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Executive Director Libby Lumpkin speaks at the gala and auction for the Las Vegas Art Museum’s “Las Vegas Diaspora” exhibit Sept. 30 at the Four Season Hotel. On Tuesday, Lumpkin suddenly resigned.
Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008 | 2 a.m.
Sun Archives
- The art of collecting (10-16-2008)
- LV Liberation: Influential art figure Libby Lumpkin makes return to Vegas (7-19-2005)
Beyond the Sun
Libby Lumpkin, executive director of the Las Vegas Art Museum and key player in the museum’s new direction, abruptly resigned on Tuesday.
Lumpkin came to the museum in 2005 with an impressive resume and helped redirect the museum’s vision, rebuild its reputation and raise its national visibility. Her focus was cutting-edge contemporary art.
She resigned during a special board meeting called to discuss budget revisions that would have affected payroll and staff.
According to those present, Lumpkin said, “You can have my salary,” and resigned.
She said she had hoped for a different outcome on the budget. Lumpkin, who was cleaning out her desk Tuesday afternoon, said she had no idea she would be leaving the museum that day.
Her resignation was a shock to board members and staff.
Patrick Duffy, who takes over as board president in January, said Lumpkin “basically felt that she wouldn’t be able to be effective” with the revised budget.
“It’s unfortunate,” Duffy said. “We would have loved to be able to work with her because we value her tremendously. She’s a dynamic thinker and a very spirited intellect. But we could no longer operate with this type of payroll. Because of economic climate we’re in, it had to be reduced.”
The board called her after the meeting and said her resignation was accepted.
Lumpkin said she had hoped to stay at the museum until the end of the month, but the board asked her to leave.
Her $100,000 annual salary may help with the budget problem temporarily. But sources say changes to the 12-member staff, which was recruited during Lumpkin’s tenure, might be inevitable.
The museum is one of many nonprofit cultural institutions locally and nationally being hit by the economy. Profits from the museum’s gala in September came in at $432,553, down more than $100,000 from last year. In addition, donors are giving less.
The museum’s financial statements from 2006, the last year available, list the Las Vegas Art Museum’s budget at $1.6 million. Duffy wouldn’t say what the 2007 budget was, but the museum is looking at a budget of less than that of 2006 for the next fiscal year.
Alex Codlin, the museum’s executive assistant director, has been asked to be interim executive director.
Museum exhibits are scheduled through the end of next summer.
It’s already been an eventful year for the museum. In March, the board derailed plans to lease the All-American Sportpark near McCarran International Airport. The museum was going to remodel the Sportpark to use as a new temporary home. Instead, it decided to look into building its own facility. The museum began aggressively looking at options downtown, including a site on the Smith Center for the Performing Arts campus. Myron Martin, president of the Las Vegas Performing Arts Center Foundation says that partnership didn’t work because the museum was looking for more space than was available.
Duffy says the museum will continue discussions and negotiations for a new home.
The loss of Lumpkin will likely be felt throughout the community.
A highly respected writer and art historian, Lumpkin was the founding curator of the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art in Las Vegas, which opened with Steve Wynn’s art collection in 1998. She was an assistant professor of art history at UNLV and served as visiting professor and lecturer at Yale, Harvard and other universities.
She left Las Vegas in 2003 with her husband, art critic Dave Hickey, after she was denied tenure at UNLV. They moved to Long Beach, Calif., where Lumpkin served as a director of a museum studies program and professor of art history at California State University, Long Beach.
In 2005 Lumpkin returned to take over as executive director of the Las Vegas Art Museum. The move was lauded by colleagues and critics who said that if anyone could repair the museum’s reputation and set it on a new course, it would be Lumpkin.
Her shows included “Southern California Minimalism” with works by such artists as James Turrell, John McCracken, Larry Bell, Craig Kauffman, Peter Alexander, Judy Chicago and Robert Irwin; a retrospective of work by Martin Mull; and “Las Vegas Diaspora: The Emergence of Contemporary Art From the Neon Homeland,” which featured work by 26 artists who had studied at UNLV with Hickey between 1990 and 2001.
Duffy said her departure wouldn’t be too damaging to the museum because the board and staff have a well-crafted mission statement to follow.
Lumpkin, who said she has no plans to leave Las Vegas but will need a job, added that she’s relieved to know the museum will be in the hands of a professional staff that will continue on its mission.
“It’s just really unfortunate that LVAM was not immune to the economic downturn,” Lumpkin said. “We’ve been working really hard to prevent this situation.”
Lumpkin says she had expected a different outcome at the meeting, but would not comment on details.
“I will continue to be supportive of the museum and its effort to serve the community,” Lumpkin said. “I’m here if anybody needs me for anything.”
The departure of Dr. Lumpkin is a huge blow to the vulnerable Las Vegas Art Museum and to the museum community in general. Executive Directors like Libby Lumpkin come around once in a lifetime. Over the last 5 years Las Vegas museums have lost irreplaceable talent at their helms and I do hope that this departure will give us pause.
Las Vegas lost another rare talent in Dr. Lumpkin. Clark County and the City of Las Vegas are losing in the social and culture front with this resignation. Social and cultural value can be the economic stimulus we need in Clark County and The City of Las Vegas. Mayor Goodman has a great idea to improve downtown and bring a professional team here.
The most telling comment about the lack of cultural awareness in Las Vegas:
"Duffy said her departure wouldn't be too damaging to the museum because the board and staff have a well-crafted mission statement to follow."
Following a mission statement is great if the organization has leadership and an artistic director. The board might be wonderful. The staff might be great. But without the visible, creative Executive Director the Museum must focus on finding a new leader. That takes precedence and will set back every exhibition, fund-raising goal, and project.
The Board allowed a very smart, imaginative, and talented director to walk away during a severe economic downturn. I believe it will take years, perhaps decades for the Las Vegas Art Museum to recover.
I don't know a damn thing about art or for the most part high society culture but it obvious that casinos,ballparks,professional sporting teams,canopy's with light shows and noise are the norm for this growing metropolis. I know a lot about the things I have just mentioned, but my grandchildren and the children of other people will not know anything of art or culture either as long as they live in Las Vegas. Most cities survive on the pocket change that Las Vegas has, but yet Las Vegas will be known for slot machines,buffets and goof balls. It is a shame.
That sucks.
There are a lot of people who live off the government who are now living in LaLa land, like this lady and Lord Rogers.
The economy is going to worst before it gets better.
It might be two years before government budgets will stabilized.
@jfnance32
the lvam is privately funded. no one "living off the government" there.
Beta, jfnance is known not to let facts get in the way of his well crafted and painstakingly researched opinions.
Hey beta_1: "the lvam is privately funded. no one "living off the government" there."
I also like what Homer said about the lack of knowledge on art and culture in Las Vegas. Since only private money is used for the Las Vegas Art Museum's operating budget and the businesses (read casinos) here are going broke, maybe GOVERNMENT FUNDING is the answer.
Lord knows it would jfnance something else to complain about.
there's an art museum here? When did that happen?
They get Federal and State grant money.
Yes, they do get part of their money from the taxpayers.
Yes, they are living in LaLa land if they do not realize that the hurting economy will not affect the money they will get from private and governmental entities.
I spent more than half my life contributing to the establishment and stabilization of the arts in my hometown. I finally gave up and moved away.
All of the arguments can be summed up by saying "Las Vegas gets what it deserves". It gets exactly the parks, schools, politicians, cultural facilities, university, police services and natural environment the citizens of southern Nevada are willing to invest their time, money and attention in.
We lost Libby once because UNLV was too stupid to recognize what it had and find a way to give her tenure. They lost her husband, too, one of the nation's most trenchant cultural commentators and someone who, along with Libby, brought tremendous legitimacy to the Vegas cultural scene (and, say what you wish about "legitimacy", it is as valuable and necessary in the cultural world as it is in any other endeavor, including your own life and career).
And having gotten her back, she is lost once again.
In truth, this is likely to have happened eventually anyway, because for something like LVAM there is unlikely to ever be enough stable support to prevent the repetitive budget crises that scar every cultural and educational institution in Nevada.
Vegas will survive, and will glitter far into the future. But each day it becomes less and less a place any sane person would want to live in, much less raise their children in.
Sorry, Libby. Sorry, Vegas.
Las Vegas is going in a new direction in many ways...and this is only another example of that. She was a great asset, but had plenty of shortcomings.
Out with the old and in with the new!! There is no place for huge egos and healthy salaries anymore.
Let's get some young, creative, educated blood in there to push the arts scene in Las Vegas to the next level! The MOCA coming to East Fremont is a HUGE step in the right direction.
If all of the artists, educators, curators, and city bureaucrats would put their own agendas aside and focus for a year or two, we could get there!
trapper, no disrespect, but I'll check back with you in "a year or two" and get your take then.
Vegas has always relied on the young, creative, educated blood willing to work for trash pay on the theory that we've just got to push it to the next level. I think I first heard that line of reasoning in 1977.
The real cycle goes "young, bright-eyed, looking to the future > slightly older, tired-eyed, focusing on the practical > old, burnt-out, looking for bandages".
And meanwhile, the city twinkles ever brighter. You really *do* get what you pay for.
MOCA East Fremont, HA!
LASVEGASROCKS you are sooooo right! This is a huge blow to LVAM and to everyone involved in the arts scene. She was the breath of fresh air LVAM needed and they just screwed that up. Back to crapy art exhibitions . . . and First Friday is nearly dead . . . so much for the emergence of a "real" art scene in Las Vegas.
Len.. I'm not naive. I have watched this process happening in front of my eyes for the past ten years and am no spring chicken myself. You are right about the typical "cycle", but those are the ideals upon which failure and despair are built.
I hope that all of those whining about this have been out to support the arts, culture, and core of this city. My guess is that most of you haven't.
Oh...and RayRay.. I'm willing to put a wager on the MOCA. It's already in the works!