Museum of Arts and Sciences director leaves after 13 years at the helm

When Susan Welsh leaves her executive director role at the Museum of Arts and Sciences this month, she makes it clear she’s not retiring — she’s pivoting.

After 13 years leading the museum, Welsh leaves an impressive legacy at the museum and in her adopted home of Macon.

Welsh will now devote herself to her art appraisal practice, Welsh Art Appraisal and Advisory. But she said she’ll still be around to lend a hand at the museum from time to time and in the community she’s grown to love.

“Susan Welsh is a very special individual,” said Gary Wheat, president and CEO of Visit Macon. “I worked closely with her as she chaired the Visit Macon board. In fact, she was instrumental in selling me on making the move to Macon to join Visit Macon nine years ago. I give her full credit for so much of what we’ve accomplished. Her leadership, visionary thinking and her goal of making Macon a music destination set a lasting tone.”

Regarding the Museum of Arts and Sciences (MAS), Wheat called it “truly a gem in our community” and a major Macon tourist destination.

He said Welsh’s leading hand in adding programs, exhibits, facility expansions, grounds upgrades and the overall evolution of the museum is obvious to anyone visiting or following the museum’s progress since its 1956 beginning.

“I’m sorry to see her go, but I celebrate her and what she’s been able to do at the museum and for Macon,” Wheat said.

Here’s an added sampling of Welsh’s accomplishments at the museum:

— The museum raised more than $15 million for capital improvements, expanded programs and its endowment.

—Four major facility renovation projects were completed.

—The Museum of Arts and Sciences received the prestigious Governor’s Award of Excellence in the Arts and Humanities.

— Welsh redefined the role of art in strengthening science programming to position the museum as a leader in arts-infused science programming.

— She curated more than 100 exhibitions focused on postwar, contemporary and emerging art, all usable by educators to meet math or science curriculum requirements.

— She positioned the museum as the most committed and best-equipped museum in the state for developing and delivering innovative STEAM programs.

Welsh said the latter accomplishments required an intentional focus on exhibitions highlighting artists who use math or science to inform their works, with more than 500 objects of contemporary paintings, drawings, ceramic sculpture, photography and multimedia works added to the permanent collection.

“Susan has dedicated more than a decade of unwavering leadership, vision and love to the MAS,” said Geneva West, president of the museum’s board of directors. “We’re profoundly grateful for her service and hope she now embarks on an even greater passion, knowing she will always be part of the heart and legacy of the MAS.”

West noted Welsh was set to leave the museum earlier in the year, but when her replacement didn’t work out, she returned. A new executive director, Jim Greenhouse, is set to join the museum in early January.

“Jim is no stranger to the MAS or Macon,” West said. “He served as a science curator here from 1992 to 2002 and 2005 to 2012. He then expanded his distinguished career at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. With more than 30 years of experience in science education, museum outreach and planetarium management, Jim is a seasoned museum professional whose expertise and passion for inspiring lifelong learning make him an exceptional choice.”

Welsh said she knew Greenhouse from his time at the Museum of Arts and Sciences and applauded his return.

“It’s exactly what I was hoping for,” she said. “Someone who loves Macon but has had exposure to larger science centers. I think we need a science leader in the museum’s next chapter. We’ve never had a true science leader, so it’s time.”

While capable of leading and expanding the sciences at the museum, Welsh also has a strong background in the arts. Raised in Atlanta and Delaware, Welsh grew up in a family where the arts and creativity were emphasized for generations. She showed a proclivity for painting and creating at an early age.

At the University of Georgia, she focused on writing and journalism with added art courses. She and her husband, Steve, came to Macon for him to study law at Mercer University. 

Before her work at the museum, Welsh worked for L.E. Schwartz & Sons, had a daughter and took on an artist-in-residence role at her school. She later joined Wesleyan College, providing leadership and strategic direction for the offices of development, alumni relations and marketing communications.

She directed a $20 million comprehensive campaign and the annual fund and said she “took every art history course they offered and probably every studio art course.”

Then came the Museum of Arts and Sciences and other opportunities to serve and lead in the community via arts, business and community involvements. She has done everything from serving on Visit Macon’s board to Rotary Club leadership and roles with Middle Georgia State University.

“Susan Welsh is first an artist in her own right, but then she’s an incredibly thoughtful and intentional leader,” said Jim Crisp, founding artistic director of Theatre Macon, who knows Welsh through arts and community associations. “She’s a visionary, someone who can think and envision in many dimensions. She builds consensus, allowing everyone around her to participate. 

“In my opinion, we wouldn’t have the museum we have if Susan hadn’t come along when she did. She’s a very credible ambassador for the arts and for the community — the whole community. She’s someone I admire as much as anyone and someone I sought advice from. Macon is richer for having her here.”

So now, Welsh pivots. What’s Welsh Art Appraisal and Advisory about?

“I love the museum, but this next chapter of life is like, what would I do if I could do anything?” Welsh said. “I get to look at art, research art and help people understand what they or a family member might have spent years or a lifetime collecting. Or I might help a business or organization choose the right works for their facility.”

By design, the bulk of Welsh’s appraisal and advisement work is not far from her museum work. It involves helping collectors or art inheritors prepare collections for donation to museums. 

She said it can be a daunting process without guidance and that there’s no one doing similar work in the Southeast. At present, she’s focusing on regional clients up to Washington, D.C.

Welsh said Macon is home and will remain so as the base of Welsh Art Appraisal and Advisory. She called it “the perfect place” because of its people, its future and its proximity to Atlanta’s airport and cities and museums worldwide.

“I’m also looking forward to walking into MAS one day, not long from now, and being surprised and awed by some wonderful new exhibit,” she said.

Contact Welsh through welshappraisal.com.Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com. Find him on Instagram at michael_w_pannell.