The Smithsonian Establishment has eliminated Stephanie Stebich, beforehand the director of the Smithsonian American Artwork Museum (SAAM) in Washington, DC, from her position following years of complaints from employees members concerning her “poisonous” administration of the museum. Stebich was moved to a senior advisory position in September, working with Kevin Gover, the Smithsonian’s undersecretary for museums and tradition.
Stebich’s reassignment was first reported by The Washington Put up, which discovered that members of the Smithsonian’s board of commissioners discovered in regards to the allegations towards Stebich final yr and shortly requested Stebich’s removing from her position as director. The request was contested by a number of senior-level employees members, together with Gover. Some board members additionally threatened to resign if Stebich was eliminated.
Contacted for remark, a spokesperson for the Smithsonian tells The Artwork Newspaper that the establishment “doesn’t problem press releases when a director is transferred to a different division of the Smithsonian” and that “the Put up story is correct”.
Stebich was appointed director of SAAM in 2017 and beforehand served because the director of the Tacoma Artwork Museum in Washington, the place she spearheaded important capital campaigns that boosted the museum’s campus, operations and collections. Nevertheless, former Smithsonian curator Virginia Mecklenburg—who was demoted beneath Stebich—claims that Stebich was “an inexperienced director for an establishment the scale and complexity of SAAM”, in keeping with the Put up report.
Stebich oversaw round 140 staff and managers, some who anonymously described “an environment of concern and recrimination”, and alleged that Stebich “publicly rebuked employees” and “gave contradictory directions and at occasions modified abruptly, disrupting routines and processes”. Stebich additionally “blamed employees for her errors, berating folks in conferences”, and is accused of inflicting rivalries between curators.
The Smithsonian introduced on administration consultants and an government coach to work with Stebich after reviewing declining worker satisfaction surveys over time, though there have been no noticeable enhancements in her conduct. Final yr, consultants held a digital train with over 100 employees members to discover their issues, during which employees members fed a phrase cloud that ultimately turned dominated with the phrases “poisonous director”. A letter of criticism was later submitted outlining employees dissatisfaction.
Stebich instructed employees she was taking indefinite medical go away in July. Her reassignment was introduced in August in an inside e mail by the Smithsonian’s secretary, Lonnie G. Bunch III, who oversees all personnel selections for senior-level employees members. Bunch wrote that the “Smithsonian and SAAM have benefited from Stephanie’s ardour, dedication and creativity”.
Stebich was allegedly well liked by board members and had raised greater than $100m for the establishment. She achieved a collection of notable milestones throughout her tenure, together with spearheading a fiftieth anniversary acquisition marketing campaign for the Renwick Gallery and organising a strong touring exhibition programme. She additionally oversaw the reinstallation of SAAM’s fashionable and modern artwork galleries final yr, which sought to present a extra expansive view of American artwork by means of the inclusion of extra Bipoc (Black, Indigenous and folks of color) and LGBTQ+ artists.
Stebich has not commented on the position change or the current allegations. Jane Carpenter-Rock, the deputy director for museum content material and outreach, has been appointed the performing director of the museum and the seek for a everlasting substitute is underway.
