According to a press release from the University of Oregon, former UVA Art Museum director Jill Hartz, whose name was quietly removed from the museum’s staff website during the winter, has accepted a position as executive director of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon.
Hartz confirmed the appointment during a phone interview with C-VILLE this afternoon, saying that the Schnitzer Museum is "a beloved institution both to the University and the larger community."
"They have a very eclectic program. For me, it’s the next step up," says Hartz. "It’s a much larger museum—it has a restaurant and a café, and 23,000 square feet of gallery space, larger staff, larger budget, a lot of major supporters. And they’re really open to the kind of programs I’ve done here, that are of interest to a number of different constituencies, supporting the academic mission but also reaching out beyond that."
Hartz starts her position in August. This summer the museum begins its 75th anniversary celebration. Hartz lauded the museum’s highly praised collection of Asian art as well as its contemporary work, which will constitute a good deal of the exhibitions scheduled for the anniversary year.
"One of my first shows will be a contemporary Cuban show that’s already on the schedule. So, having worked on Cuban art here, that fits really well with my interests." The exhibit, "Cuba Avant-Garde: Contemporary Art from The Farber Collection," opens on October 4 and runs through January.
"Probably in the spring of next year, we’ll be doing some major shows that look back at what the museum has accomplished and where we want to go from there," she adds.
Goodbye, Rugby Road, hello, Oregon! Former UVA Art Museum director Jill Hartz has accepted a position as the executive director of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon.