Second director candidate hopes to bring global outlook to Ulrich Museum

Julien Robson from Philadelphia is the second nominee aplicant for the director of the Ulirch museusm who spoke Monday in Mcknight hall second floor.

With experiences as rich as his European accent, Julien Robson spoke to an audience of about 25 people Monday about the vision he hopes to bring if he is chosen as director of the Ulrich Museum of Art on the Wichita State campus.

Robson is the second candidate interviewing for the position, and perhaps the most traveled.

“I think [the Ulrich] has developed and grown a lot,” he said. “But I think it has a lot more potential. I’m only interested in helping it to grow more.”

Born in Scotland, Robson studied at the Bath Academy of Arts in England. For two years, Robson continued his education at the Slade School of the Fine Arts in London. After college, he took his skills to the Gardner Arts Centre in England, Galerie Steinek in Vienna, the Speed Art Museum of Louisville, Ky., and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia.

“It’s about where you think your talents can be most effective,” he said. “The director’s job is not to micromanage what the exhibition and the collections should be, but rather to create a vision.”

So why would such a traveled curator want to take a director’s position in the middle of Kansas? For Robson, that’s the beauty of it.

“I think one of the American problems is that there are many, many museums in smaller cities across the states that have collections that are like small versions of New York museums,” Robson said. “I’m interested in how does a museum relate to its own community rather than trying to engage in an art discourse that has become global.”

If chosen as director, Robson would expect a visit from the American Association of Museums for the Ulrich to be re-accredited. He would like to develop more support for the education department of the museum and also for student internships. At the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Robson’s work allowed many student interns to work with artists in the installation of certain galleries.

“It’s not just about putting a nail in the wall. I think connecting students with living artists is really important,” Robson said. “It can be kind of overwhelming to talk to them, but they’re not these strange individuals—they’re actually real people. The artists actually really enjoy it.”

Besides a more global outlook at the Ulrich, Robson would also reach out into the WSU and Wichita community.

“I would like to strengthen the bridges between the museum and various departments of the university,” he said. “There is a whole body of artists that live and work out here. How do we make them feel that they have some ownership of this museum?”

Robson plans on bringing another sculpture onto the campus within the next few years if he is chosen for the director’s position. Ultimately, however, Robson feels that his vision will be a good fit with the Ulrich.

“It’s a museum that is at the moment, wants to develop itself internationally [and] be global in its outlook. I see that being something I could contribute to,” Robson said.

The third candidate for the Ulrich director position is scheduled for a public talk at 1 p.m. on Oct. 29 in the McKnight Art Center, Room 210.

The chosen candidate would replace Patricia McDonnell who is now the director of the Wichita Art Museum.