Brown County’s Education and Recreation Committee on June 3 will take up the issue of the Neville Public Museum’s future, a topic mulled over by county officials for months with no resolution since the resignation of the museum’s last director about eight months ago.
The committee’s discussion, at the request of County Board member Patrick Evans, is expected to be wide-ranging, touching on the museum’s operations, its accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums and its lack of a permanent director − which has sparked debate.
The committee will consider endorsing Evans’ ask that the county hire a permanent museum director “before any sort of merger, consolidation, or partnership takes place,” according to the committee agenda. The request appeared to refer to previous comments by several County Board members that the county has not gotten any proposals from the Children’s Museum of Green Bay to occupy the Neville Public Museum.
However, in a June 1 email to committee members, Evans said a proposal had, in fact, been provided to the county, a statement that the Green Bay Press-Gazette has not independently verified.
“I have some issues with it,” Evans wrote.
County Board members Dixon Wolfe and Devon Coenen had floated adding children’s exhibits to the Neville Public Museum after Beth Kowalski, the museum’s director, resigned Sept. 15. The idea was met with criticism at the time over the merits of combining two museum philosophies, including from Toni Burnett, executive director of the children’s museum.
The county’s job listing in December for museum director has attracted over 40 applications, deputy county executive Jeff Flynt previously told the Press-Gazette. Flynt is the museum’s interim director.
The situation has demoralized the museum’s staff and left the museum without a clear direction, according to some members of Green Bay’s Public Arts Commission, which endorsed a city resolution requesting the county hire a director.
Jesse Lin is a reporter covering the community of Green Bay and its surroundings, as well as politics in northeastern Wisconsin. He also writes a weekly column answering reader questions about Green Bay. Contact and send him questions at 920-834-4250 or jlin@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Neville museum future, director to be discussed at committee meeting
Reporting by Jesse Lin, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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