The Jersey City Museum appointed Laurene Buckley, Ph.D. as the new executive director of the museum starting Oct. 1. Dr. Buckley succeeds Marion Grzesiak, who left the executive director position in April 2009 after seven years.

Buckley brings over 20 years of leadership experience at museums throughout the northeast, including the Tyler Art Gallery, SUNY Oswego; the Castellani Art Museum, Niagara University; the Queens Museum of Art; and the New Britain Museum of American Art, in Connecticut. She began her career at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, N.Y., and later served as chief curator of the Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester.
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“That means we’re here to stay. We won’t cease to exist or abandon our mission,” Buckley said.
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“The vibrancy and energy of Jersey City and Hudson County are contagious,” Dr. Buckley noted. “I’m looking forward to learning even more about the region’s cultural richness and diversity.”

Buckley holds a Ph.D. in Art History from the Graduate School of CUNY; a master’s degree from City College, CUNY; and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois. She is a graduate of the Getty Institute Museum Management Program, and has served for many years as a peer reviewer for the American Association of Museums.

A whole new leadership


Buckley found out about the open position at the Jersey City Museum in AVISO, the national website of the American Association of Museums. What attracted her were the goals of the museum.

“I'm passionate about contemporary art and I was particularly attracted to the museum’s mission, which combines art and history and also focuses on serving as a resource for the community,” Buckley said. “During the process I learned more about the museum and its outstanding reputation for presenting exhibitions by emerging artists and artists of color. Of course I was also drawn to the city’s thriving arts scene and was excited at the prospect of getting involved. I knew that in this economy, taking this position on would be a challenge, but I like challenges.”

One of Buckley’s first challenges is to put the museum on solid financial footing to “stabilize operations and build a cash reserve ‘cushion,’ ” since the museum since last March reduced their public hours and furloughed staff one day a week and made other cuts. That helped in the last fiscal year (July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009), as the museum had a deficit of less than $25,000.

In the current fiscal year starting July 1, because of funding cuts from the government, corporations, and foundations, the museum lost $300,000 in anticipated income.

Another challenge facing Buckley is getting more people into the museum, to generate not just revenue but also more interest in the museum as a cultural haven. Buckley said the museum is looking at replicating the success of the quarterly arts event known as JC Fridays, which brings out thousands of people to check out different venues around the city hosting various arts-themed events. They would like to host an open house on the first Friday of every month (beginning Dec. 4) and are finalizing the details with a corporate sponsor.

“It’s daunting, but we are an institution. That means we’re here to stay. We won’t cease to exist or abandon our mission,” Buckley said. “However, the coming months will likely be more difficult than we would hope.”

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.