The Indianapolis Art Museum has just announced a successor to Max Anderson: Charles L. Venable is the new Melvin & Bren Simon Director and CEO of the Museum. Venable is currently the director and CEO of the Speed Art Museum.
From the press release:
Venable brings more than 25 years of museum experience to the IMA, having held senior positions at some of the country’s top encyclopedic art museums including the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Dallas Museum of Art. During his five-year tenure as director and CEO of the Speed, Venable fueled tremendous institutional growth and initiated innovative programs that placed a special focus on the permanent collection and fostered deeper engagement with the public. He launched a comprehensive analysis of the Speed’s 14,000-piece permanent collection, acquired a series of significant works of art for the Museum, and expanded the role of adult and student education within the Speed’s overall programming. Venable also spearheaded a master plan to reinvigorate the Museum and enhance the visitor experience, which has led to the reconceptualization of the Museum’s current facility and a planned 200,000-square-foot expansion featuring a new building for modern and contemporary art designed by wHY Architecture of Los Angeles and New York
 Read the rest here.
I have written favorably about what Venable has done at the Speed three times: here, here and here (this one is most enlightening — he answers my Five Questions about his review of the Speed’s permanent collection). He will surely be different in style from Anderson. But Venable has been accessible to me whenever I asked, and I assume to others in the press, and that’s a very good thing for many reasons — one being a sign that he’s open.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Business First