DeCordova Appoints New Director:
Dennis Kois to Lead Contemporary Art Institution
Kois will be only the fourth Director in the Museum’s 58-year history
The Board of Trustees of the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park announced today (March 19, 2008) that Dennis Kois has been appointed Executive Director, only the fourth in the Museum’s 58-year history.
Founded in 1950, DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park is one of the most important regional art museums in the country. The Museum is dedicated exclusively to the exhibition, interpretation, and collection of modern and contemporary American art, with a particular focus on showcasing New England art, and includes one of the largest permanent public sculpture parks in the nation.
“Dennis is a person of broad experience and deep talent. He is a dynamic, creative, proven leader who will add great strength to the DeCordova as we expand and develop both our exhibition and educational programs,” said DeCordova Board President Robert H. Scott. “After considering over two dozen candidates, we are convinced that we have found the ideal Director for the Museum today—and tomorrow.”
“I’m honored to be chosen to lead DeCordova, an institution I have admired for many years. The museum is truly unique in its focus on the art and artists of New England, and the Sculpture Park is an incredible resource and inspiration on so many levels,” said Mr. Kois. “With the support of the Board and staff, I’m eager to build on DeCordova’s illustrious past and move the museum into the future.”
Mr. Kois, currently the Executive Director of The Grace Museum in Abilene, Texas will assume his new role on June 1, 2008. He was selected after a year-long national search process led by the highly respected New York firm of Phillips Oppenheim.
Kois brings more than twenty years experience in the museum field to the DeCordova. In addition to his leadership of The Grace Museum, he has held important positions at The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC) and The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY), and was an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate Program in Museum Studies at George Washington University (Washington, DC) from 2002-07.
“I am very excited to welcome Dennis Kois to DeCordova. The other members of the Search Committee and I are tremendously impressed by his talent and energy, and we are confident that he will make a great leader,” noted Joyce Linde, Trustee and member of the Search Committee.
While at Grace, Kois established and articulated a convincing institutional vision and advanced the museum’s position as a force in Texas art. He completely revamped The Grace Museum’s exhibits program with new museum-organized solo shows of David Bates, Vernon Fisher, James Surls, Margarita Cabrera, and others. He also guided the museum’s Board of Trustees in establishing a collecting strategy while initiating the museum’s first-ever acquisitions program for contemporary art.
Kois also led the design, construction, and renovation of the Museum’s children’s education facilities, including the creation of a new 4,500 square-foot green-design Education Center with classrooms, offices, a resource library, and an Internet-based distance learning studio in previously unused space. And he organized the first-annual KidzFest, which attracted nearly 6,000 attendees to the Museum in a city of only 110,000.
“Dennis is a great communicator, strategist, and energetic leader, and has worked for some of the leading institutions in this country—he is going to bring that level of excellence to DeCordova,” said Trustee and Co-chair of the Search Committee Kathy Kirk. Adds Trustee and Co-chair of the Search Committee Deborah Hawkins, “These are exciting times at DeCordova. Dennis’s appointment by the Board was unanimous and we all look forward to working closely with him as we plan for DeCordova’s future.”
Mr. Kois graduated from New York University with a Masters in Museum Studies. He has a Bachelors degree, cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Kois also completed The Getty’s Museum Leadership Institute, an advanced management and leadership program for Directors and senior staff. He is married to Stacey Schmidt, a museum curator previously with the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Washington, DC) and The Whitney Museum (New York , NY). They have two children, Olin, age two, and Violet, one month.
Mr. Kois takes over for Paul Master-Karnik, who led the Museum for 23 years from 1984 to 2007. Previous Directors included David H. Katzive (1981 to 1982) and Founding Director Frederick P. Walkey (1949 to 1979). Dennis Kois was selected from a national candidate pool of 45 individuals; 30 candidates were vetted and 15 people were interviewed. There were six candidates considered during the second round of interviews and these individuals represented a wide array of backgrounds and experiences.
About DeCordova
Founded in 1950, DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park is the only major art museum in the region dedicated exclusively to the exhibition, interpretation, and collection of modern and contemporary American art, with a particular focus on showcasing New England art.
Located just 16 miles from downtown Boston in Lincoln, MA, DeCordova features a 35-acre scenic Sculpture Park, the regions largest year-round outdoor sculpture rotating exhibition area with more than 80 works on view.
DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park welcomes nearly 130,000 visitors each year, enjoys 4,100 members (including corporations), and has an endowment of $12 million. DeCordova is accredited by the American Association of Museums and has 38 full-time staff members.
DeCordova is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 am to 5 pm and on selected Monday holidays. General admission during Museum hours is $9 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, students, and youth ages 6–12. Children age 5 and under, Lincoln residents, and Active Duty Military Personnel and their dependents are admitted free. The Sculpture Park is open year round during daylight hours. The Store @ DeCordova and the School Gallery are open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am to 7:30 pm, Friday through Saturday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Sunday 10:30 am to 5:30 pm. The Café @ DeCordova is open Tuesday from noon to 3 pm, and Wednesday through Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm. Guided public tours of the Museum’s main galleries take place every Thursday at 1 pm and Sunday at 2 pm. Tours of the Sculpture Park are given on Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm from May to October. All guided public tours are free with Campus admission. Visit www.decordova.org or call 781/259-8355 for further information.
Press Contacts:
Corey Cronin, 781/259-3628, ccronin@decordova.org
Will Keyser, 617/529-5849, will@keyserpublicstrategies.com
