Director of the Worcester Art Museum, Matthias Waschek.
Worcester boasts many hardworking people, creating high ratings for the city’s attractions, institutions and businesses. Inside the Worcester Art Museum we find one worker Matthias Waschek, 52. He is the Director of the Worcester Art Museum.
The job description for a museum director isn’t a one size fits all type of deal, but Waschek was able to describe his personal experience with being a director. “…Generally, they [museum directors] are responsible for implementing the institution’s mission through collaborations with its staff, board members, and community,” said Waschek.
Waschek’s museum career didn’t begin at the director stage of course, but patience and hard work got him to his current position. He has climbed the ladder for over 20 years within different museums. “…I was the head of academic programs at the Louvre Museum in Paris for 11 years. From 2003 to 2011, I was the Director of the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts in St. Louis (now the Pulitzer Arts Foundation),” said Waschek.
Waschek landed in Worcester a few years ago for his museum work. It’s been a good experience so far. “I was appointed Director of the Worcester Art Museum in November 2011, and have enjoyed working with our dynamic, talented staff, and engaging with the larger Worcester community ever since” explained Waschek.
Waschek’s adult life is exciting enough, but his formative years also held adventure. “Since my father worked for NATO, I had the opportunity to travel around Europe, and grew up in different cities in Germany, along with London and Brussels,” remembers Waschek.
All this traveling and education prepared him well for being the Director of the Worcester Art Museum. Waschek explained that his work at the museum can vary from day to day. “One of the benefits of working at an art museum is the variety of work that goes into administration, curation, conservation, and more. As the Director, I get to be involved in many of the Museum’s diverse operations. This requires traveling at times…,” said Waschek.
While Waschek definitely received a childhood education that goes beyond the typical experience, he has also achieved the paper to prove that he is well rounded and intelligent. Waschek attended Bonn University in Germany, where he also earned his doctorate.
“I studied art history, classical archaeology, and modern history. I completed the research for my Ph.D. on French symbolism in Paris, France. My academic background, combined with learning on the job, helped prepare me to take the helm of WAM (Worcester Art Museum),” explained Waschek.
We're proud to be working with Matthias Waschek and staff at the Worcester Art Museum. Please take the time… http://t.co/A4bBEsx7Vc
— wHY design (@whydesignco) November 19, 2013
Despite working very hard to become the museum director Waschek thinks of it as a privilege to do what he does. Waschek loves having direct exposure to art, and being able to witness visitors enjoy and connect with the collection at the Worcester Art Museum.
There is a lot of work to be done at a museum, but Waschek stays positive. “I think people in a variety of careers would agree there aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish all that needs to be done, but that being said, I consider myself very lucky to work at a constantly growing and evolving institution,” said Waschek.
Waschek certainly enjoys his position and workplace. If any readers want to see why he loves the museum so much the Worcester Art Museum is located at 55 Salisbury Street, Worcester, Mass; 01609. The link for the museums website will be posted below.
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For more from Katelyn Avery please check out her blog.