Art Museum Director Off To A Good Start

He has arrived. Now who is "he"?

Todd Smith, 43, the new executive director of the Tampa Museum of Art, says he already is pretty comfortable with Tampa and his new job, even though he has been here only about a month.

His affability and unobtrusive command of the place he now runs would seem to bear that out. Dressed business casual - tie but no jacket - the new boss could be mistaken for any of the staff working in cubicles at the museum's interim location.

Sure, he has the corner office, but it's still in an old cigar factory. He doesn't seem to mind.

"The way the neighborhood here has embraced us is great," he said. "The educational programs keep people coming in."

He talks about the energy of the staff and the tremendous scope of the educational programs. Those are things he wants to take to the new building.

Scheduled for completion in September, the new building was a big draw for Smith.

"I liked the energy and passion with the design and the support of the board and the staff for it," he said. "A new building gives us endless possibilities."

Some of those possibilities are unformulated right now, but in one area, the new director is committed. He wants to help young local and emerging artists launch their careers.

His own art collection includes a substantial number of pieces by emerging artists.

"Whether we become the place that shows the artist or not is different than if we, as an institution, support a thriving local art community," he said.

He would also like to put on an exhibit by a well-known architect of the past.

"We're entering into this new museum that is so contemporary, and I'm going to be interested in bringing exhibits that interact with the building and see how well the building adapts," he said.

Beyond his obvious interest in art, the new director has a wide range of interests, including reading. But not fiction.

Smith is an avid history buff, so even if he wasn't working on his dissertation for his doctorate in history of art from Indiana University, he probably would be reading about early American or 19th century art anyhow. Or maybe business. Or education.

When Smith travels, he likes to read through a stack of magazines during the flight.

"That's where I get most of my inspiration," he said. "One of the great things about a museum is we get to touch on so many areas of life - business, marketing, consumer preferences, design, art, cultural trends, education - so you have to be curious."

A native of Richmond, Va., he holds degrees from Duke University and Indiana University. He has spent the past 20 years adjusting to life in six cities, where he was either the curator or the director of a museum, the latest being executive director of Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, S.C.

Now Smith is ready to help build a bigger and better museum in Tampa. "Our charge is to balance what we hope will be popular exhibits with those that may not be as popular but are important exhibits for an institution to be a part of," he said.

"What I ask is that people just give us several years to put forth a program to really understand what the possibilities are."