Latest news with #EllenNoëlArtMuseum
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Museum renovations coming along
May 23—The Ellen Noël Art Museum recently received some big items for its renovation such as a revolving door and an elevator, a screen wall, 37-foot columns, horizontal support pieces and vertical slats. The renovation is 68 percent complete, Project Manager Steve Patton said. Construction crews were also pouring concrete for the museum's decorative front drive. Additional landscaping will be added. If there is no bad weather and no back orders on materials, construction could be complete at the end of August. Any delays will push it back to September, Patton said. Groundbreaking on the renovations was in September 2023 and more than 8,000 square feet will be added and a second floor for administrative offices. Board member Nancy Boles said the re-opening gala will be Dec. 4. The galleries will be 68 degrees, 43% humidity, 24 hours a day, 365 days out of the year, Patton said. "That way, we maintain the utmost perfect conditions environmentally for the art that's going to be displayed. To be certified for the Smithsonian and several of our big lenders, renters, where we do get art, they require that type of a climate condition for their art so that it will be preserved," Patton said. The galleries will have RGB (red, green and blue) LED lighting so the colors can change based on the exhibit, or it can just be white. The lights can also be dimmed or brightened. If it contrasts with the art, the lights can be turned off or have a little bit of color. "There are a lot of options that we'll be able to do with that particular lighting mechanism and I think that's so cool," Patton said. He added that he has never seen anything similar at another museum. "There will also be a media gallery where they can display electronic, digital, anything ... that is computer generated. We have data and electricity lines in the floor. The floor conduit goes to a room that's right behind that wall," Patton said. Any type of control center or any electronic art can be in that area. One of the most important factors for an art museum is wall space, he said. "The space that you have on the floor, square-footage wise, is good. But most importantly, you want wall space for your displays. As you can see, all the electrical plugs are on your baseboards, so we can free up the wall space for more displays and flexibility. Also, we can bring in temporary walls" that can add to the space, Patton said. The renovation is adding more than 8,000 square feet to the building, plus a second floor that will have administrative offices. There is one wall that will have The Stampede mural on it, the one that used to be in the Post Office in downtown Odessa by artist Tom Lea. There will also be an events area/community room for special events, weddings, banquets and classes, Patton said. There will also be space to allow for two classrooms or one large open space. "We've done quite a bit of improvements to the garden area. Those retaining walls or seat walls, the holes that you see are going to be lighting. This will be an upper deck, and you'll step down onto a lower deck to have bistro tables out there in this area for people" who want to look at the art, Patton said. "We've got a really cool mural that's going to be placed on that west wall over here, and that little door right there, it's a coat closet. That's pretty cool," he added. The mural will be 12 feet by 3 feet. Created by San Antonio artist Diana Kersey, it will be donated to the museum. There will be a warming kitchen specifically for catering and large events and a monitor to display upcoming events and advertisements among other items. There will be space for food trucks to pull in. When previous museum director Shelia Perry asked him to help with the project management, Patton said he saw the plans and he was in. He added that he thought "that's going to be a landmark like none other in this area. "They chose the architectural features from several museums from around the world. You might see a little bit of the Guggenheim, a little bit of the European style of architecture with the big curved wall in front." Phase I is fully funded and there will be a Phase II that includes a second-story covered entrance and a deck over the drive through. Patton said they are under budget by about $600,000 as of May 12.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Ellen Noël executive director ready to dive in
Apr. 22—Nicole Herden realized her affinity for museum work while doing internships in college and she has stayed dedicated to the vocation for about 20 years. Herden just stepped into her new position as executive director of the Ellen Noël Art Museum April 14. Herden began as an intern for different state museums and art museums while in undergraduate school and continued that internship work primarily in the curatorial and registration departments. She really enjoyed working in an art museum, particularly the exhibition rotation, working with artists and maintaining a collection. "I continued that through graduate school coursework, and that work sort of transitioned and led me to pursue a full-time career in that field," Herden said. "I pretty quickly determined through those internships, that was the career I wanted to pursue. That was at the time I was pursuing my MFA in the visual arts, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to figure out that that's what I wanted to do," Herden said. "That led me to pursue another master's in art history to continue that work." She was then able to land the curatorial assistant position at the Phoenix Art Museum, and then eventually a registrar position. "Through the years, I had the opportunity to be promoted and work my way up to different leadership positions. I have enjoyed it tremendously on so many different levels, and am very grateful to have had the opportunity to pursue this career," Herden said. She said opportunities like the one at the Ellen Noël don't come around often, especially when there are really exciting chapters underway, "like once-in-a-lifetime, milestone projects." The museum is conducting a capital campaign and expansion project. As of April 15, the capital campaign is 64% complete, according to information from the museum. The tentative timeline for completion of construction is the end of August. After that, there are specifications they will have to meet for housing artwork. They will also have to have to operate their humidity and temperature controls, maintaining systems consistently at 43% humidity, 68 degrees F, 24-hours a day, for a 90-day period. After that is accomplished, they will move art back into the location. The first exhibition, and opening to the public, is tentatively scheduled for early December 2025. What drew Herden to the Ellen Noël was the passion that the staff and board have for the institution. "There is incredible support and passion and it's a rare opportunity to have the ability to work with a team like that. That was very appealing to me, and certainly I have experience working with regional communities. I felt really drawn to the Permian Basin community and the exciting growth that is happening culturally (and) economically within our region. For those reasons, I was really excited. I love the Southwest, having lived in Arizona and having an affinity for Southwestern art in general, and just regional art and contemporary art," Herden said. Among her priorities are planning and strategy for moving into the new building and getting to know the staff, board members. She's also looking forward to learning more about the community and stakeholders to better understand the area and where there may be opportunities to serve more audiences. "I'm excited to get to know our partners and identify ... new future partners," Herden said. She's also looking toward working on a strategic planning process to guide the work that she, the board and staff do over the next couple of years. "That's always really important, since it truly functions as a North Star, so to speak, of all the work that we do. And then certainly, of course, the capital campaign. The community and the board have done amazing work in making progress on that, but there's certainly more to do to wrap it up, and I am eager to participate in that and bring my own energy and excitement and hopefully have a quick impact on finalizing that campaign goal," Herden said. As for if she has a favorite piece of art, she couldn't say. "It's like choosing your favorite child. ... Art is just so fascinating to me. I'm always intrigued, whether you know, it's by an unknown, unrecognized artist or it's by a really well known, established artist. I'm always very curious about the process of making art, and I'm always eager to come up with my own interpretation of the art and that is what I really enjoy," Herden said. It's kind of a transformative time for both the Ellen Noël Art Museum and The Museum of the Southwest in Midland, which also has a new executive director, Scott O'Donnell. "I'm excited to meet that new director," Herden said. She added that she hadn't yet reached out to O'Donnell, but is excited about doing that very soon. "I know that there has been collaboration and partnership, but I don't doubt that there's probably more opportunity for other considerations and other ways to do that. It's exciting that we're both going to be new and we can sort of vision and brainstorm on the clean slate, so to speak," Herden said. Most recently, she served as executive director of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, where she ran a multidisciplinary organization with an accredited art museum, theater, and art school. Her previous experience includes the Executive Director role at the Museum of Nebraska Art as well as curatorial and collections roles at Boise Art Museum, Phoenix Art Museum, and Arizona State University Art Museum. Herden, a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, a master's of fine arts from Boise State University and a master's in art history from Arizona State.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ellen Noël Art Museum appoints Nicole Herden as Executive Director
Mar. 31—The Ellen Noël Art Museum (ENAM) has named Nicole Herden as its next Executive Director, beginning April 14. Herden is an accomplished museum executive with over 20 years of experience in leadership, curatorial practice, and institutional transformation. "Nicole has a blend of skills in museum management, art scholarship, fundraising, and community building that are an excellent fit with our Museum," Karmen Bryant, ENAM Board President, said in a news release. "We are excited to welcome her to Odessa. Her leadership will help us move into our new facility and chart a course for the coming years." ENAM is currently constructing a new 36,000 square foot facility set to open in late 2025, which has been funded through a $20 million capital campaign. Bryant cited Herden's experience with large-scale museum construction projects and fundraising as important reasons for her hire. "She checked all the boxes for us," Bryant said. Herden most recently served as Executive Director of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, where she ran a multidisciplinary organization with an accredited art museum, theater, and art school. Her previous experience includes the Executive Director role at the Museum of Nebraska Art as well as curatorial and collections roles at Boise Art Museum, Phoenix Art Museum, and Arizona State University Art Museum. "I am thrilled to join Ellen Noël Art Museum at this pivotal moment in its history," Herden said in the release. "The new museum facility will be a beautiful and important addition to the cultural life of the Permian Basin, and I am delighted to bring my leadership to the effort." In addition to opening the new museum and launching new exhibitions in the galleries, Herden is charged with leading a strategic planning effort that focuses on new opportunities generated by the new facility, galvanizing community support, and leveraging the Museum's status as a Smithsonian Affiliate and accredited institution of the American Alliance of Museums to serve visitors and the community. Herden's hire culminated from a nationwide search that began last year conducted by Dan Yaeger, Senior Search Consultant for Museum Search & Reference, an executive placement firm specializing in the North American Museum field. ENAM's Search Committee included Ludie Warner, who served as committee chair, Board President Karmen Bryant, Paula Barnett, Marita Hendrick, Austin Keith, Bryan Murray, and Lissa Noël Wagner. Visit for more information.
