Preston Bautista appointed Deputy Director for Public Programs at the Indianapolis Museum of Art

INDIANAPOLIS, IND.- Dr. Charles L. Venable, The Melvin & Bren Simon Director and CEO of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, announced today that he has restructured the Museum’s senior management team. The most significant changes are the creation of the Division of Public Programs and Audience Engagement and the Division of Business Development and Marketing. Venable has appointed IMA staff member, Dr. Preston Bautista, to the new position of Deputy Director for Public Programs and Audience Engagement. A search will begin shortly for a Deputy Director for Business Development and Marketing. In all, five senior managers will report directly to Venable. The additional three are Jennifer Bartenbach, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary; Kathryn Haigh, Deputy Director for Collections, Research and Exhibitions; and Cynthia Rallis, Chief Development Officer.

Prior to arriving at the IMA in December 2011, Bautista was Director of Public Programs at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Photo: Courtesy of the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

In his new role, Bautista will continue to oversee the audience engagement and public programs areas of the museum. In addition, he will have oversight of the curatorial department, design, library and archives, and scholarly publishing. Prior to arriving at the IMA in December 2011, Bautista was Director of Public Programs at the Baltimore Museum of Art. His career at museums has included positions at the Japanese American National Museum and the J. Paul Getty Museum. He holds a Ph.D. in Art History from The Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

“Preston has been an incredible asset to the IMA since his arrival, and it is a natural next step for him to take on an increased role in the position of Deputy Director for Public Programs and Audience Engagement,” Venable remarked. “My goal is to bring together those at the IMA who create programs for the public so that these smart, creative people can inspire and challenge each other. The IMA already offers great programming, but I truly want to ‘double down’ on our service to the local community and the region. My hope is that in time the IMA will become the central gathering place for people of all types to meet each other and experience together great art, film, nature, architecture, food, and even music and literature,” Venable continued.

Once hired, the new position of Deputy Director for Business Development and Marketing will be responsible for growing the Museum’s earned income through existing and new endeavors, helping to increase overall attendance, improving visitor services, and exploring new opportunities with respect to the IMA’s extensive grounds and historic structures.

“We must become more strategic with respect to the public programs we create, the art we collect, and how we fund those efforts. I believe the creation of these two new positions will help the IMA become an industry leader in engaging the public,” Venable added.