I’m thinking this is good news. The TMA names someone to lead their institution who has a track record of interest in contemporary art. Hopefully we are one step closer to never having to experience another exhibit of Yankees memorabilia again. (But I kid. Curator Elaine Gustafson has done a good job of bringing contemporary voices into the museum, and I think what’s been happening at the museum’s interim location is especially interesting.)  Excerpts from the press release after the jump.

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TAMPA MUSEUM OF ART HIRES EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Tampa, FL (September 19, 2008) - The Tampa Museum of Art’s (TMA) board of trustees announced today the appointment of Todd D. Smith as the museum’s permanent executive director. Smith joins TMA from the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC, where he served as executive director. He will begin work at TMA on October 6, 2008.

Among Smith’s responsibilities as executive director of TMA, he will guide the completion of construction and opening of the new 66,000-square-foot facility in downtown Tampa, lead the museum’s effort to become a nationally recognized major arts destination, ensure the institution’s financial stability while raising capital funds and building its endowment, shape and expand its art collection, as well as develop progressive and innovative programs to serve the community while fulfilling the museum’s mission.

While serving as executive director at the Gibbes Museum of Art, Smith oversaw a rethinking of the museum’s purpose and vision. He oversaw an increase in major donor, government and volunteer support, elevated the visual identity of the museum with a rebranding campaign that included a state-of-the-art website, and acquired important works of traditional and contemporary American art. Smith also instituted the Elizabeth and Mallory Factor Prize, an annual cash award for artists working in the Southeast.