Welcome to my blog. Although I reserve the right to discuss anything and everything in this column, I will focus in part on developments in the museum world and the local museum community. This brings me to the subject of this entry.

A couple of weeks ago, Daniel O’Leary resigned his post as director of the Portland Museum of Art. He will become director of the museum’s Winslow Homer Studio Project. Bob Keyes wrote an excellent piece in the Portland Press Herald summing up O’Leary’s career. I wanted to add a few words from the perspective of a museum professional.

As the Press Herald article pointed out, annual attendance at the Portland Museum of Art almost doubled during O’Leary’s fourteen- year tenure. During that same period, the museum’s endowment increased tenfold. On their own, these numbers are remarkable enough, but considered in the context of trends in the museum world, O’Leary’s accomplishments are nothing short of extraordinary.

Attendance is stagnant at many museums around the country, and some museums are experiencing declining attendance. Increasingly, museums are struggling to balance their budgets. Some museums, accustomed to spending only the interest earned by their endowments, have been forced to draw down the principal. Suffice it to say that the Portland Museum of Art was fortunate to have someone of Daniel O’Leary’s high caliber at the helm.

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