Wesley Jessup

Experience

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  Guggenheim Museum

  Jan 1994 - Dec 1998

  Manager of Budgeting and Planning, International Programs

  The Guggenheim Museum operates three museums internationally and features important exhibitions of 20th century American and European art. I began in Visitors Services department and moved to Budgeting and Planning in 1995 to work on the exhibition planning team with curators, registrars, and designers to establish budgets and international exhibition schedules. Exhibitions that I worked on with budgets of over $1 million included Africa: The Art of a Continent (1996), Robert Rauschenberg: A Retrospective (1997), The Art of the Motorcycle (1998), and Rendezvous: Masterpieces from the Centre George Pompidou (1998). Capital Projects: I worked on the planning team that established the Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin (Gluckman Mayner Architects, New York) preparing the capital budget and the first year operating budget. Also prepared the first two years of traveling exhibition budgets for the Guggenheim Bilbao, both of which opened in 1997. Show less

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  The University of Kansas

  Aug 1998 - Oct 2000

  Spencer Museum, Assistant Director

  The Spencer Museum of Art is the museum for the University of Kansas and features a permanent collection of over 22,000 objects. This teaching museum is integral to the university, with frequent interaction and dialogue with many different academic departments. I directed budgeting and planning, creating the annual operating and acquisition budgets, and working with the curators on the exhibition schedule. I worked directly with MoMA to bring their recently completed collection of Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills to the Museum in 2000, the first time that series had been shown in Kansas. New facilities: Coordinated conceptual phase of design for Museum addition with staff, donors, and community members (Polshek Partnership, New York). Show less

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  Pasadena Museum of California Art

  Oct 2000 - Sept 2007

  Director

  The Pasadena Museum of California Art (PMCA) focuses on California art, architecture, and design. The Museum began with a $250,000 annual budget and two board members (the founders), and grew to an annual budget of $1.2 million and a board of 12 directors who are prominent in the art and business worlds. I developed an operating plan that featured an exhibition program of historic and contemporary art, established a Project Room at the Museum and also commisioned large scale, site specific installations with artists including Kenny Scharf and Susan Silton. New facilities: I worked with the founders and architects (Johnson and Favaro, Los Angeles) in the design and construction phases for the new 30,000 sq. ft. facility, which has over 10,000 sq. ft of exhibition space. Show less

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  Boise Art Museum

  Aug 2007 - Jan 2009

  Director

  The Boise Art Museum is over 70 years old with a permanent collection of over 3000 objects and around 15 exhibitions a year, with an emphasis on Northwest artists. Helped raise funds for "Marsden Hartley: American Modern," "Chuck Close Prints," "5000 Years of Mexican Art" and other exhibitions. Merged Beaux Arts Society, a separate 501c3 support group, with the Museum. Led a redesign of the Museum’s website and graphic identity. Commissioned a temporary large scale installation by Seattle based Lead Pencil Studio. Show less

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  Kawerak Inc.

  Jun 2009 - Feb 2011

  Beringia Center, Project Director

  Kawerak is a non-profit Native Corporation ($32 million annual budget) serving the Bering Strait Region of Alaska. The Beringia Center project is grant-funded by the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) and is responsible for planning a Cultural Center that is slated to open in 2016. New facilities: I raised $2.3 million for the Cultural Center (total budget $5 million) from individuals, Native Alaskan corporations and the State of Alaska. I worked with Bettisworth North architecture firm (Fairbanks, AK) to design a retrofit of an existing building on Front St. to accommodate a museum, café, auditorium, and classroom space. Show less

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  Longmont Museum and Cultural Center

  Feb 2011 - Feb 2017

  Director

  The Longmont Museum and Cultural Center was established in the 1930s in Boulder County/Metro Denver to preserve the history of the area and present exhibitions of history and art. With a permanent collection of over 20,000 historic objects and a strong exhibition record, the Longmont Museum serves over 60,000 visitors annually on and off-site through exhibitions, educational programs, and performances. Art in Public Places (AIPP), the city’s 1% for art program, is included in the museum operation. Manage the annual budget, serve as chief fundraiser, and working with our curators, have revamped and expanded the exhibition program for wider audiences, drawing visitors from beyond our region. The Museum's attendance and growth has tripled since I began in 2011, with membership growing by 47%, and regional media coverage expanding significantly to both English and Spanish speaking markets.New Facilities: Led a $5.2 million capital campaign to build an additional 12,000 sq. ft. auditorium addition. Working with OZ Architecture (Denver), staff and community members, I led a re-design of the original 2008 plan when I began in 2011. Worked with GC Bassett and Associates (Aurora, CO) opened the auditorium in June 2015. Major funders include National Endowment for the Humanities, Kaiser Permanente, Gates Foundation, Stewart Family, and the City of Longmont. Show less

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  Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture

  Mar 2017 - now

  Executive Director, Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (the "MAC")

  Regional museum focusing on Inland Northwest art, history, and Plateau Indian tribal art and material culture. $8.4M budget, 4.5 acre campus, 98,000+ sq. ft. of facilities, 53 staff, collection of art, historical objects, and largest known collection of Plateau tribal material. Museum is a State agency; Exec Director reports to the governor. Approximately 50% of funding is from the State, the rest is donated or earned revenue. Exhibition program drawn mostly from in-house collections or regional artists; host 2-3 traveling exhibitions annually. Work with leadership team to develop and manage budget, fundraising and exhibition and educational programming. Develop extensive network within State government (Arts Commission, Office of Financial Management, Governor's Office), private foundations, individuals, and corporations, to grow budget ($4.8M to $8.4 in 6 years). Grew attendance to over 100,000 visitors in 2019. Navigated through financial and staffing impacts of COVID. Work with separate 501c3 MAC Foundation to grow $5.3M endowment to $13M+ in 6 years; solicit planned giving and prepare for future endowment campaign.- Since starting, I have increased attendance by 70% (not counting COVID years) with over 103,000 visitors in 2019, the highest annual attendance in the museum's history; increased membership from around 2000 to over 3,600; grown corporate contributions from below $100k to over $350k annually, including multi-year funding agreements.- Completed 2018-2021 Strategic Plan. Drafted 2022-2024 Strategic Plan (consultant M. Goodwin Museum Planning) with community, tribal, and State participation. - Work with board and legal team to redraft outdated organizational policy handbook.- Champion regional artists, including organizing an NEA funded, 2024 nationally touring Joe Feddersen (Okanagan and Arrow Lakes) retrospective.- Successful applications for NEH, NEA, Murdock Foundation, Terra Foundation, each a first for MAC. Show less