The Walker Art Center is shifting its staffing, elevating its public engagement during a critical moment.
The "realignment," which creates nine new roles, cuts five positions and changes three existing jobs, shows how executive director Mary Ceruti plans to reshape the Minneapolis art center after taking over in January 2019.
Ceruti announced Monday that the Walker is creating a new department titled Public Engagement, Learning and Impact. Nisa Mackie, director of education and public programs, will be in charge — joining the senior leadership team.
Mackie will be "thinking about how we plan our programs from the perspective of what matters to people," Ceruti said in an interview. "Not just what are artists thinking and excited about, but how do we connect that to what is important in people's lives?"
In part, the shifts reflect a response to the 2017 controversy over "Scaffold," a sculpture that drew anguish and sparked protests. At the time, some Native American leaders criticized the Walker for not engaging with them ahead of time about the work, based partly on the gallows used to hang 38 Dakota men in Mankato in 1862.
Among the new roles: head of content and communications. Among the losses: Paul Schmelzer, editor of Walker Reader, who has worked for the Walker for 18 years. In 2014, he launched Artist Op-Eds, where artists grapple with urgent issues.
Earlier this year, the New York Times mentioned the Walker Reader in praising the Walker's website as "a networked treasure house."
The news was "unexpected," Schmelzer said in a Facebook post. "I've always approached my work through twin lenses — relevance and social justice — always seeking to make the case that contemporary art matters."
