Carolina Perdomo/Contributing Writer
Cathy Leff/Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.
Wolfsonian-FIU Director Cathy Leff has served the museum for 17 years and said while institutions have character, they also have life cycles– a life cycle she affirmed is complete between her and the museum.
But while the Office of the Provost will conduct a formal, national search to identify her successor, Leff does not plan to stray far from the University, continuing to serve as a senior fellow.
“I will reflect on what I have learned and seek ways to share that with others,” Leff said. “Simultaneously, I look forward to watching the Wolfsonian move boldly forward.”
Leff has led the Wolfsonian through its first generation, which opened in 1986 and merged with FIU in 1997.
“I feel fortunate to have been part of the first generation in birthing a new institution in the Wolfsonian complexities of relationships and expectations involved,” said Leff, who joined the Wolfsonian in 1996.
Over the years, Leff has raised operating income, built a professional staff and has distinguished the museum internationally. The directorship’s responsibilities includes negotiating collections, fundraising for events and accrediting memberships with national organizations.
Along the years Leff worked with Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. to broker his original gift to the University — the largest gift ever to the State of Florida University System. She also reportedly raised $2-3 million annually to support Wolfsonian operations and capital improvements.
The Wolfsonian-FIU Museum’s collections is comprised of approximately 120,000 objects from 1885 to 1945—the height of the Industrial Revolution to the end of the Second World War—in a variety of media.
“My job has been to develop Wolfsonian as a brand and give its collection a meaningful reputation and positive [public relations] for FIU,” said Leff.
The Wolfsonian has received wide recognition for its unrivaled collection of modern material culture and its multidisciplinary approach to looking at objects as both agents and expressions of change.
[pullquote]“Cathy ensures that the Wolfsonian has become one of the most admired, respected and imitated cultural institutions of our time,” said Micky Wolfson, founder of the museum.[/pullquote]
Leff said she is forever indebted to Wolfson for trusting her as a collaborator.
“Cathy has had remarkable success in leading Wolfsonian-FIU and integrating it into the teaching and research agenda of the university,” said Provost and Executive Vice President Douglas Wartzok.
The University is looking into a new director with different qualifications that requires experience.
“The new candidates for this position have to understand how the contents of the museum contribute to the intellectual and artistic dialogue in the domains covered by the collection,” Wartzok said.
Leff said it takes more than a director to run the museum, it takes a team.
“This is a job that no one person can do alone, it takes a dedicated staff, a committed board and the public and private support,” she said.
Leff said she never saw the obstacles and only the opportunities throughout her journey.
“I learned how much fun it is and how gratifying it is to be involved in a cultural and learning environment at this point in time,” Leff said.
She said it’s hard to summarize her 17 years spent as director.
“The opportunity to help shape, build, and solidify The Wolfsonian is one of the most rewarding feelings from my journey,” Leff said.
– news@fiusm.com
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