New Director: Greenwald plans to boost membership, encourage more collaborations

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A nationwide search revealed “a perfect fit” to lead the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum.

That’s the assessment of Dr. Jim Henderson, provost of the University of ޻ֱ at Lafayette. LouAnne Greenwald is “a wonderful combination of a successful artist, a successful fundraiser in support of the arts, and an experienced administrator in the arts field,” he said.

She became the museum’s director on July 1. She is the first female to serve in that role.

Greenwald was previously the principal partner at LouAnne Greenwald and Associates in Washington, D.C. The firm provides fundraising consultation services, including campaign planning, major gift fundraising and grant writing for small to midsize nonprofit organizations.

Greenwald has 11 years of experience in management and programming for museums and schools. She helped raise $7.4 million to support the new West Hollywood Library in Los Angeles County and designed campaign plans for the Washington, D.C., SEED Foundation to create public boarding schools for underserved 6th to 12th graders.

Greenwald has worked for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County; and the MAK Center for Art & Architecture at the Schindler House, Los Angeles, a satellite of the MAK Museum in Vienna.

She is also a sculptor, painter, and photographer.

As director, she will oversee a range of exhibits, programs and tours. University Art Museum houses a collection of 18th- through 21st-century European, Asian and American art. In addition to the permanent collection, the museum’s 11,000 square feet of gallery space also ޻ֱs changing exhibitions of regional, national and international art.

In a recent interview with La Louisiane, Greenwald said she will work with the museum staff and board to reach several goals. She hopes to expand the museum’s audience and membership, foster collaborations across campus and Acadiana, and enhance the museum’s online presence. for example.

“Research universities such as UL Lafayette offer a distinct opportunity to draw upon diverse academic disciplines and expertise to generate new perspectives that inspire art, education and creativity,” she said.