Board of Directors Election
2011 Candidates
Denise Mullen, Oregon College of Art and Craft
Denise Mullen, president of the Oregon College of Art and Craft in Portland
Statement: CAA’s impressive history as a forum for the presentation and investigation of ideas critical to art historians, visual-arts educators, practicing artists and designers, curators, and museum professionals is aptly described in the organizational tag line: “advancing the history, interpretation, and practice of the visual arts for over a century.” The activities and services that CAA provides, from advocacy on national policy to career assistance, are essential aids to the wide range of our membership constituencies. CAA is a singular organization, the one venue in which individuals in the visual arts can take a collective view of how our areas of research and practice fit into a larger fabric—geographic, philosophical, educational, and political.
If privileged to join the board, I would encourage an expansion of CAA’s leadership role as a forum for the growing integration within the art and design field among makers, historians, educators, and presenting institutions. The changing expectations of those served by our membership, from students to museum attendees, has necessitated a reconsideration of curricular and exhibition programming to reach a tech-savvy population that learns best through multifaceted, project-based modalities.
CAA can enhance its role in framing the conversation around these shifting parameters in education, presenting institutions, and within the research and practice of the visual arts through conference topics, regional workshops, and targeted advocacy. The first goal in the 2010–2015 Strategic Plan is to represent the visual arts and their understanding, nationally and internationally. In an increasingly global environment, it is incumbent on CAA that it partner with other arts organizations around the world, both visual and performing, to forward the concerns and issues of those in the visual arts.
Specifically, CAA could serve as a global voice in articulating the value of the creative process as a transferable model of finding effective and innovative solutions to a variety of problems and situations in other fields. In recent years, this methodological transferability has resonated with those in a wide range of businesses, corporations, nonprofits, and government organizations as they look for ways of becoming more innovative in meeting the needs of their clients and constituencies. By making the visual arts relevant to the general public, a better case will be made for CAA as a collective body of professionals. At the same time, the value of the organization will be increased to our members, thus fulfilling the strategic-plan goal of increased member retention.
With the focus on messaging, the clarity of the organization’s print and online identity to external and internal audiences will become increasingly important. Priority should be given to the effectiveness of web and print in forwarding CAA’s public presence and in meeting members’ needs. Targeted fundraising to support CAA awards and activities can strengthen the infrastructure and enhance the technology available to the organization to provide better services to members and to manage external communication.
In closing, it is an honor to be considered for the board and to have the opportunity of sharing ideas for CAA’s future with the membership.
Biography: A practicing artist and faculty member, Denise Mullen is currently president of Oregon College of Art and Craft. Her other administrative roles as chair, vice dean, dean, and provost have spanned a variety of higher educational settings: a public state-supported institution (New Jersey City University and Purchase College, State University of New York), a freestanding art school associated with a museum (Corcoran College of Art and Design), a private liberal arts college (Sweet Briar College), and a publicly supported, freestanding art school in Canada (Alberta College of Art and Design).
A member since receiving her MFA in 1973, Mullen has recently served CAA on the ad hoc committee that drafted the Standards and Guidelines for Academic Art Administrators, adopted by the CAA board in October 2009. In addition, she was a member of the CAA Nominating Committee in 2007–8. Throughout her career she has actively participated in CAA functions and activities, by making use of career services (both seeking positions and interviewing candidates for jobs) and association policies that provide guidance in daily institutional activities, and by attending conferences to remain current and enrich her view of the field. She has encouraged and mentored several generations of students, faculty members, and professionals in two countries to avail themselves of CAA’s services and benefits.
Mullen’s administrative focus has been characterized by the assessment and support of programs, activities, and functions to enhance quality and provide stability, including planning strategically for future directions. This collaborative planning has been based on the results of evaluative processes; the mission, goals, and aspirations of the respective institutions; and national and international educational, philosophical, and demographic trends. She has provided oversight in managing budgets of up to $7 million and leadership in actively fundraising for scholarships, faculty enhancement, and gallery exhibitions.
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How to Vote
If you have not opted to vote online, you will receive a paper ballot in the mail. If you have chosen to vote online, please log into your CAA account with your Member ID and password. Click the Vote Now link to begin the process. You may vote for up to four candidates, including one write-in candidate. Ballots with more than four candidates indicated will be void. No ballot received after 5:30 PM (EST) on Friday, February 11, 2011, will be accepted.
