Secretary of State Announces New State Museum Executive Director
(TRENTON, NJ) - Secretary Of State Nina Mitchell Wells today announced that Eric Pryor, noted artist and educator, curator, and director of multidisciplinary arts and cultural centers, has been named as the new executive director of the New Jersey State Museum by the Museum’s Board of Trustees. A resident of West Orange, Mr. Pryor will assume the post November 3, 2008.
“We are so pleased to have Eric Pryor on board with the rest of the Department of State family at the New Jersey State Museum. His first-hand experience as an artist and strategic planner for cultural institutions, with particular expertise in contemporary art, will make him a wonderful asset to the State Museum as we expand on our commitment to present exciting new exhibitions and programs” said Secretary Wells.
As Director, Mr. Pryor will oversee one of the nation's first state museums founded with an educational mission. Today, that mission comes alive across four distinct subject areas – Archaeology/Ethnology, Cultural History, Fine Art and Natural History – offering a dynamic experience of “four museums in one.”
Mr. Pryor has guided the Summit-based Visual Arts Center of New Jersey as its president since 2002, overseeing the development and management of a $2.4 million annual budget. Under his leadership, the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey structured a strategic plan to refine and augment the Art Center’s mission, initiating one of the most innovative educational programs for children and adults in New Jersey. In 2005, Mr. Pryor led the Center through a major renovation project, which included the addition of new galleries and expanded education facilities.
Prior to his tenure at the Visual Arts Center, Mr. Pryor served for seven years as the Executive Director of the Center for Arts and Culture of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, Brooklyn, NY, where he was responsible for program development, management and leadership. He has also served as an Artist Advisor to the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the General Services Administration, NY, as an Art Critic for the Philadelphia Tribune, and as Visiting Professor at Buffalo State College, Art Instructor at the Fleisher Art Memorial Education Program, Philadelphia and Art History Professor at Medgar Evers College, City University of New York. He currently is a board member of the New Jersey Association of Museums and ArtPride New Jersey and is a former board member of the Paper Mill Playhouse.
Adam Kaufman, chair of the State Museum Board of Trustees, lauded Pryor’s extensive experience. “Eric Pryor brings tremendous expertise in establishing arts institutions as economic, educational and cultural anchors in diverse communities. We are fortunate to have his dynamic leadership talents here in our State Capitol,” Kaufman said.
Mr. Pryor attended the Columbia University Graduate School of Business, Institute for Not-for-Profit Management, New York, NY, received an M.F.A. Painting from Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, a B.F.A. from Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, and has taught art courses at City University’s Medgar Evers College, Buffalo State University, and Philadelphia’s Fleisher Art Memorial and Community College.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve New Jersey as Executive Director of the State Museum,” said Pryor. “From the newly renovated four-level main building, 384-seat auditorium to the 150-seat planetarium, together, the State of New Jersey and the foundations, corporations and citizens of the state are transforming the ‘People’s Museum’ into a premiere location for cultural exchange and education.”
For more information on the New Jersey State Museum, please visit www.newjerseystatemuseum.org.
To learn more about the diverse array of services and programs located within the Department of State, visit www.state.nj.us/state. |
