Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Mitchell.
Laura, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always loved learning. I thought for sure I’d never leave school, and I even earned a Ph.D. to guarantee that I’d never had to leave the classroom! But my first job after graduate school changed my vision for the future. I was working at the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, and realized that I didn’t need to be a professor to fulfill my dreams and goals. I saw how important it was to craft effective communication for general audiences, raise funds for our cherished cultural institutions, and manage a project with skill and diplomacy. Once that realization dawned on me, my career path pivoted, and my life has been all the richer for that shift.
I’ve now spent more than two decades working with educational and cultural institutions to support lifelong learning. In 2019, I had the privilege of joining Visions Art Museum as its Executive Director. In the years immediately prior to joining VAM, I worked at an International Baccalaureate School in Hong Kong. The language of instruction at the school was English, but the school’s students held passports from nearly 50 different countries and spoke dozens of languages at home. I loved being a part of an international community; if I didn’t learn something new every day, I wasn’t paying attention. As a native Californian, though, my home state always tugged at my heart, and I was thrilled to find a fantastic professional opportunity here in San Diego, another beautiful Pacific Rim city.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Smooth roads certainly have their allure, but I’ve generally preferred the more challenging trail. I’m always trying to figure out how to make things better, which means tackling problems, both large and small. Like many women, I’ve encountered various external struggles, but I’d say that the bigger struggles for me have been internal. It took me a while to understand what I wanted to be and do and to leave behind what I thought I was supposed to be and do. Once I was comfortable in my own skin, it became easier to pick the right road. Sometimes that road has been smooth, and in other instances, not so much! But when you know that you’re on the right road, you have the motivation to keep going. The “right road” also generally brings along the right people, and I am grateful for the friends and mentors who have taught me, tended my bruises when necessary, and cheered me on.
We’d love to hear more about the organization.
Visions Art Museum is a textile, fiber, and art quilt museum. Most often, that means fabric, but fiber also includes media like paper and other natural materials. Our museum store also focuses on fiber and textiles and features work by numerous local artists.
Visions is the only textile museum in San Diego and is one of just a handful of textile museums in the United States as a whole. VAM hosts more than ten physical exhibitions a year featuring both 2D and 3D art. Before Covid, the museum’s website offered some online exhibitions, but since April of this year, VAM has dramatically expanded its digital footprint with enhanced online exhibitions, activities, and social media outreach.
In 2019, my greatest source of pride was that the museum eliminated admission fees. Visitor numbers grew accordingly, and donations helped to offset the lost ticket revenue. This was a bold move by the Board of Directors, and I am grateful for their wisdom and leadership. In 2020, I’m proud of how the museum has risen to the challenges presented by the pandemic. Artists, members, and visitors have all responded enthusiastically to VAM’s online offerings and are giving us high marks for going the extra mile to make textile art accessible beyond the walls of the museum.
What’s your favorite memory from childhood?
I’m happy to say that I have many such memories. Choosing just one is a challenge! Since I’m writing as a museum director, I’ll pick from that file in my brain and mention seeing the King Tut exhibition in Los Angeles in 1978. I’m dating myself! I remember so vividly standing at the displays, gazing upon the ancient beauty and marveling at the grandeur that had been preserved, quite literally, in the sands of time. I think that’s the moment when it first occurred to me that working at a museum could be a career choice. I ended up studying history first, but the joy of bringing art and history to the general population was already stirring in my soul!
My dad was as eager as I to see the exhibition, and he got evening tickets so that he could take me to the exhibition after work. My father died many years ago now, and I’m grateful that I have the memory of seeing King Tut’s treasures with him.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2825 Dewey Road, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92106 - Website: www.visionsartmuseum.org
- Phone: 619.546.4872
- Email: visions@visionsartmuseum.org
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