TMA Director Brian Kennedy made formal presentations to our board and staff the week of December 6 regarding preliminary findings and overall direction after Phase 1 of our strategic planning process. The complete presentation is here. This is a draft document only and is meant to generate additional thought and an outline for future planning. Your questions and comments are welcome.

1. A Design Vision for the Toledo Museum of Art
Presentation to Museum Board | December 6, 2010
Brian P. Kennedy, Director

2. Toledo’s Past
Key Word: Design
= Design (the eye) + Manufacture (the hand from French: main)
Toledo’s Present and Future
Key Word: Design
= Design + Manufacture
Remember: The Toledo Museum of Art did not just happen: It was caused
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3. Design Principles
1. All our activity must involve art
2. Our people are our best asset
3. Integrate art into people’s lives
4. Always seek to add value
5. Plan, implement, evaluate
6. Money follows good ideas
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4. Education
Multiple Intelligence/
Multiple Literacy
Sensory Literacy
Textual/Technical Literacy
(Arts/Environmental/
(digits/letters)
Social/Behavioral)
Humanity
(Critical Thinkers)
Artificial Intelligence
Knowledge
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Computer Literacy

5. Howard
Gardner:
Multiple
Intelligences
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6. Purpose of the Toledo Museum of Art
Art Education
To provide access to
works of art in the
museum and provide
information about them
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7. Typical Art Museum: Purposeful/Intentional
Collections
Audiences
Purpose
Resources
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8. TMA Model: Activity Based
Art
Staff
Buildings
Funds
Collections
Audiences
Activity
Intellectual
Property
Knowledge
Expertise
Experiences
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9. Data Gathering Process: September - November, 2010
Ten questions asked and one assignment
Internal stakeholders participating:
- Full and part-time staff
- Board
- Docents
- Ambassadors
- Museum Instructors
- Protective Services
- Volunteers
- UT Center for Visual Arts Faculty
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10. Data Gathering Process: September - November,
2010
Over 400 participants
Replies gathered, being processed (300 pages).
Report available end January 2011
All replies will be available to internal stakeholders
via websites or email
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11. The Questions:
1. What are your best and fondest memories of the Toledo
Museum of Art?
2. What have you been involved with personally at TMA
that gave you the greatest satisfaction?
3. What is your burning issue(s) in the community right
now? (You can interpret "the community as narrowly or
as broadly as you wish).
4. Who are the people who could consume our product but
do not do so now? How will we attract them?
5. In five year's time, what would you want to be
different/the same about TMA?
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12. The Questions:
6. What organizations, whether in Toledo or elsewhere,
should we partner with to achieve our objectives?
7. How should we leverage our potential as an art
museum with local schools and universities?
8. What exhibition projects should we undertake, of what
sort, with whom, and why?
9. What ways can we leverage the expertise of our staff so
that it is more available within the community?
10. What should we do to make better use of the Peristyle?
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13. The Assignment:
You are the Chief Art Critic of the New
York Times. Your article for the NYT
written in November 2015 takes the
format: "In November 2010 I visited the
Toledo Museum of Art and I
found....Returning in November 2015 I
find...."
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14. So What Are We Going to Do?
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15. TMA’s Art Collections
30,000 works/3 Parts
1. The Permanent/Rotating Public
Display Collection
2. The Reference Collection
3. The Glass Collection
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16. TMA’s Art Collections
The Permanent/Rotating Public
Display Collection
World renowned for quality/distinguished individual
works
Continue to acquire only top quality/singular works by
singular artists, known or unknown, from all periods and
cultures
Address areas of world art not currently represented
Deaccession works of lesser quality
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17. TMA’s Art Collections
The Reference Collection
(Mainly in various media on paper)
Large but not comprehensive of world art
Inadequately published and used, despite better
efforts in recent decades.
Inadequately resourced – must be better displayed
Limit acquisitions until better usage/collection development
plan is devised and implemented
Deaccession works of lesser quality
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18. TMA’s Art Collections
The Glass Collection
Aims to be comprehensive (quasi-encyclopedic)
One of two such collections in the US (Corning Museum
the other)
One of the world’s great glass collections
Must be displayed optimally
Continue to develop by acquiring works of singular merit
and distinction
Connect with history of Toledo as the Glass City
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19. Promote Art Collections
for our Digital World
• TMA behind in dissemination of information
about its art collections using electronic
platforms
• Much documentation work done already to
prepare collections for internet use
• Invest in digital TMA
• Invest in new media, particularly social media
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20. Visibility
• Increase marketing and P.R. locally,
regionally, nationally, internationally
(―you’re doing great work, not enough
people know about it‖)
• Focus on the Visitor’s experience – actual
and virtual visitors
• Become market-driven
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21. Visibility
• Segment our audiences
• Evaluate our programs
• Develop membership (loyalty) programs with
mass market appeal
• Develop TMA brand
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22. Visual Literacy
• Visual literacy is the ability to construct
meaning from images (all that we see)
• Visually literate people can read and write
visual language
• Visual art is a form of communication. It is
a language with an alphabet, a vocabulary
and grammar. We need to teach this!
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23. Visual Literacy
• TMA is an institution of higher learning
available to all
• TMA deals in the products of artists but is
also invested currently in studio art education
• As an art museum, we should focus on art
history, art appreciation, critical thinking
through visual learning and museum studies.
We need to re-examine our current priorities
and re-focus them.
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24. Visual Literacy
• Develop ―Learning to Look‖ courses and
build digital databases about our art
collections.
• Leverage information about our art
collections—labels, brochures, books,
catalogs, etc.—in digital formats.
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25. Partnerships with Schools (K-12)
and Life Long Learners
• Develop visual literacy strategy for K-12
schools
• Develop strong relationships with Toledo
School for the Arts
• Explore potential of digital platforms within
school system to disseminate information
about TMA and collections
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26. Partnerships and Collaborations
• Develop partnerships with diploma and
degree giving higher education institutions
and K-12 schools.
• Develop stronger relationships with local and
regional higher education institutions.
• Develop partnerships with commercial
businesses based on shared benefit
strategies.
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27. Partnerships and Collaborations
• Sell/trade TMA intellectual property
(knowledge, expertise, experiences) by
finding partners who will leverage us.
• Advertise in unexpected places (i.e.
Partner with healthcare providers, sports
venues, quality design companies)
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28. Succession Planning : Attract Young People
• TMA visitation in 2009/10 – 430,000
visitors
• Population of world = Over 7 Billion
• 2 billion have internet access (42% or 825
million are in Asia).
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29. Succession Planning:
Attract Young People
• The internet became publicly available in
August 1991
• All those born after 1991 are digital natives
• Internet penetration in Asia is 21.5% but in
USA is 77.4%
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30. Succession Planning:
Attract Young People
• We are living in the third great print revolution
of history (Cuneiform writing - 3000 years
ago,Gutenberg Press over 500 years ago,
digital world – 20 years ago)
• Exciting time to be alive – a huge opportunity!
• Go attract young people and all who are
digital savvy!
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31. Exhibitions/ Publications
Major Exhibitions 2011/2012
The Baroque World of Fernando Botero (spring 2011)
Frank Stella: Irregular Polygons (spring/summer 2011)
Small Worlds (Fall/Winter 2011)
Studio Color and Art Glass (Summer 2012)
50th anniversary of Studio Glass Movement
Manet Portraits (Fall 2012)
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32. Exhibitions/ Publications
•All exhibitions to have a related publication
•Publications in digital and/or hardcopy
formats as necessary
•Leverage back catalog of museum
publications (partner with those who can
disseminate it digitally)
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33. Exhibitions/ Publications
•Produce publications on under-promoted
areas of collection (especially works on
paper)
•Publish dynamically about contemporary
art
•Create niche reputation for publications
about visual literacy
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34. Contemporary Art and Artists
• Great art is made by great artists
• Most artists who made the works of art in
TMA are dead
• Attract participation of great living artists
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35. Contemporary Art and Artists
• Acquire distinguished works by great
artists, living or dead
• Consider Artist in Residence and expand
Visiting Artist Program
• Have special regard to including artists
working in glass
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36. Funding
• Review existing sources of funding
• Are we using our fund for the best
purposes for TMA development?
• Seek new and revisit previous program
sources of funding – develop partnerships
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37. Funding
• Develop and implement strategy to engage major donors,
foundation and corporate support, and planned giving.
• Remember: TMA did not just happened: it was caused.
• Develop menu of TMA activities requiring funding
• Actively engage Museum Board in fundraising (We need
you/We need you more!)
• Develop earned income (TMA products, special events, new
café plan)
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38. Staff
• Build integrated management system
• Reorganize ground floor offices to give
staff access to daylight and to foster better
communication
• Devise and implement Performance
Review System: staff orientation, training
and development, succession plans
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39. Staff
• Consider what is the best role for our Protective
Services Staff and Docents
• Hire young people as interns, especially recent
graduates, to foster greater communication
about the digital world and to keep us relevant
• Partner with corporate businesses to have TMA
Staff participate in their training programs
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40. Building
• Complete Wolfe Gallery, refurbish Levis Galleries
(where Botero will be shown)
• Implement continuous-improvement building
maintenance plan
• Continue to advance use of alternate energy
sources and efficient utility systems
• Consider developing the Learning Center as an
integrated Museum Center for Visual Literacy
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41. Conclusions
Objectives/Activities for TMA
TMA’s art collections: develop and promote them
Use digital technology
Increase visibility of TMA for all audiences
Promote visual literacy
Develop partnerships and collaborations
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42. Conclusions
Objectives/Activities for TMA
Attract young people
Develop exhibitions/publications
Involve contemporary art and artists
Develop and implement funding plan
Develop capability of TMA staff
Align building facilities with current TMA objectives
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