In unusual times, unexpected Central Florida arts leaders emerge
Those taking reins united by willingness to ‘step up’
Talk about trial by fire, or in these times, trial by pandemic. During unimaginable economic and artistic challenges for local arts organizations, some of Central Florida’s biggest and most notable institutions found themselves without their top business leader.
Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando Ballet and the Art & History Museums — Maitland all lost their chief executive unexpectedly. The Garden Theatre lost twice: First its executive director, then the temporary replacement. Even United Arts of Central Florida, the umbrella advocacy group for cultural organizations, has been without a president since winter. Call it the era of interim leaders. “I really didn’t want to do this. I turned it down twice. But I understood the need,” said Luder Whitlock, who came out of retirement to take charge at Orlando Museum of Art in February when director Glen Gentele resigned.
Doing what’s needed was a common refrain among those unexpectedly taking the reins.
“I knew I had to step up,” said Ray Fournier, president of the Garden Theatre board of directors, who saw two leaders depart within three months. “I knew the work had to get done and I could do it.”
Fournier has been shouldering executive-director responsibilities since interim director Melissa Braillard departed in June. She had been in charge since the theater parted ways with executive director Nao Tsurumaki in April.
For Fournier, it’s a way to repay a debt.
“I’m here because I love the performing arts,” he said. “I was not a good student, but the arts changed my life. Having arts in school allowed me to do better in school. I’m so thankful for that.”
The Garden used the gap in leadership to revamp its manage
ment structure and put its artistic director and future managing director — the new title for the person leading business operations — on equal footing.
At Maitland’s Art & History Museums, the board did much the same. After about six months as interim leader, Danielle Thomas was named co-executive director this summer alongside Randall Webster. She comes from the operations side, he comes from the programming side.
Both Fournier and Thomas said the new structures better position their organizations for the post-COVID future.
“Once this is over, we’ll go forward stronger than before,” Thomas said.
Like Thomas, Orlando Ballet interim executive director Cheryl Collins was chosen to fill her post permanently. The organization’s former development director, Collins was named executive director last week.
Having familiar faces serve as interim leaders can make a transition smoother, said Juliana Steele, interim president of United Arts. She held down the fort once before — in 2011-12 between the departure of Margot Knight and the arrival of Flora Maria Garcia, who retired in January.
“I came in with a built-in known quality and trust quality,” said Steele, a 14-year veteran of United Arts, serving as chief financial officer.
Still, the expectation of most interim leaders is that their primary responsibility will be keeping a seat warm.
“We, for lack of a better word, signed up to be placeholders,” Steele said. “And we no longer
have that luxury. There are things that have to be addressed right now in real time. We have to step up and be leaders, not placeholders.”
In addition to the pandemic shutdown and resulting economic fallout, each organization faced its own challenges.
“We had only moved into our new building in January,” said Collins of the ballet, which opened Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre this year. She took over in April, after the departure of Shane Jewell.
“We were still very much in the process of making sure everything was running when we had to shut our doors.”
The new building also meant relocating the company’s offices and school, which were housed miles apart.
“There was a lot of transition going on to consolidate our school here and get everyone to the same place,” Collins said. “That was weighing heavily on my mind.”
At the A&H, Thomas started the year with incomplete fundraising plans — plans that eventu
ally had to change anyway because of the pandemic. And then in June, a car crashed into an ornamental gate at the National Historic Landmark, leaving it in pieces.
“Fortunately a lot of the art is still intact the way it fell down,” Thomas said, though she cautioned the full extent of the damage is yet to be known because some pieces landed face down. A Miami-based conservationist who specializes in sculptures in tropical climates has been called in.
Orlando Museum of Art was in a tough spot because before departing, Gentele had clashed with staff and board members.
“It was hard to get someone, given what the museum had gone through,” said Whitlock, who faced immediate tough decisions. A major fundraiser by museum support group Council of 101 had to be canceled, losing its “really significant revenue.” The prestigious Florida Prize exhibition also couldn’t happen.
Then, Whitlock furloughed part-time staff and contract workers.
“It was tough,” he said, adding they have since returned to work.
But leaders agreed that onslaught of challenges helped them focus — fast.
“Because things were changing so rapidly, I wasn’t allowing myself to be paralyzed, thinking about what the future could bring,” Collins said.
And all singled out employees for providing critical continuity.
“In a very short period of time, the chemistry with the staff was excellent,” Whitlock said. “They are a great group of people.”
Thomas called her A&H staff “amazing, so willing to be flexible.”
The coronavirus pandemic also put leaders experienced and new on the same level — if disorienting — playing field.
“Because we’re in such an unprecedented time, nobody is really the expert on how to do anything anymore,” said Steele, pointing out weekly United Arts executive-director meetings help leaders share ideas. “We’re all feeling our way.”
United Arts plans to restart its president search this year. The Garden Theatre had more than 150 people nationwide apply to be managing director, Fournier said, and is conducting interviews.
And Orlando Museum of Art is “on the march to find a new director,” said Whitlock, who hopes his unexpected time in the hot seat will be over by the end of the year.
“I was all set for a good retirement,” said Whitlock, 80. “I’m ready to go home and read a book.”