Museum Executive Interview: 13 Questions with Elysia Borowy-Reeder

How can the arts better engage their communities? Throughout her career, Elysia Borowy-Reeder has sought to answer this question. As the Executive Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD), she highlights the “Warhols of tomorrow” while also supporting the greater Detroit area. The founding Executive Director of the Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) Raleigh in Raleigh, North Carolina, Borowy-Reeder previously worked to establish CAM Raleigh as an innovative art center in the state.

A seasoned advisor and curator, she served on the Detroit Advisory Panel for the US Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Architecture Pavilion and has organized exhibitions at both international and US institutions. Borowy-Reeder has held senior leadership positions at universities and cultural institutions across the country, including the North Carolina University State College of Design, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and the Milwaukee Art Museum.

In advance of Arts Funders Forum’s launch event on December 3, we spoke with Borowy-Reeder about the relationship between cultural institutions and the communities they serve.

Tell us about what you do. What is your role in the cultural sector?

 I am the Chief Curator and Executive Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD). I build strategic relationships to maximize MOCAD’s objectives and community development.

What specific arts and cultural causes have you been most passionate about?

I am passionate about MOCAD; the role we play to uplift our city and our role as a source of inspiration for the city of Detroit. MOCAD’s ambitious series of public programs includes lectures, musical performances, films, literary readings and educational activities for area youth. The Mobile Homestead, by late artist Mike Kelley, is a permanent artwork located on the grounds of the Museum. It is both a public sculpture and a private, personal construction – based on the artist's childhood home on Palmer Road in Westland, Michigan. The ground floor serves as a community event space by and for a diverse public, as Kelley intended. MOCAD is generously supported by individual members, private and corporate foundations and government agencies.

In your view, what impact do the arts have on society?

The arts made Detroit; the arts make life worth living. There is great art everywhere.

Why do you support Arts Funders Forum? What do you hope it will achieve?

The landscape is changing with private museums, shrinking corporate dollars – how do we sustain ourselves? I hope AFF will generate new ideas to help keep a young museum that dreams big growing. New ideas that will take MOCAD and Detroit to the next level.

Fundraising contributed to 22 percent of MOCAD’s revenue last year. Could you speak to MOCAD’s fundraising approach and how this varies from the other institutions with which you’ve worked? 

MOCAD supports artists when and where we can – we think about this everyday – and work aggressively on creating additional opportunities for artists. Every year, we host a large annual gala and art auction and give 30 percent of each sale back to the artist. Hosted by MOCAD’s Board of Directors, the Annual Gala + Benefit Art Auction raises funds to support the mission of the Museum’s Department of Education and Public Programs and Exhibitions Department. Our programs and exhibitions offer compelling opportunities to explore, challenge, discuss and reflect on the ideas raised by both the art and artists on view at MOCAD, as well as in the larger world of contemporary art and culture. We are also proud to champion and provide unique arts education opportunities to Detroit’s youth. I look at opportunities by collaborating with my colleagues at MOCAD to cultivate projects and experiences that not only amplify the energy of Detroit, but also serve as a bridge between the city and the world.

How is MOCAD approaching its fundraisers?

It’s an exciting time at the Museum. MOCAD has undertaken an endowment and capital campaign, the Future Fund, which seeks to improve its facilities to provide a safer, healthier environment for visitors. The A. Alfred Taubman and The Reyes Family Foundation have launched a $5,000,000 matching program for the Future Fund, called the Julie Reyes Taubman Match, which will help the Museum achieve its fundraising goal of $15,000,000.

With a rich history of institutions and cultural support, how is Detroit poised to work with rising generation donors?

In terms of contemporary art museums, it is really about looking at the world of now, and the potential of what it could look like in the future. How do you look at the past and use that as a constructive teaching tool as well? It definitely serves as a platform. In terms of MOCAD, we explore a diversity of artistic expressions like music, literature, visual arts, performance and film and now we are seeking ways that we can engage with visitors using technology.

More holistically, what do you believe the role of private giving is in the 21st century?

It’s growing in importance. Folks need to maintain what they have built. While at Harvard University with National Arts Strategies (NAS), I picked up a great practice point: ask your board members to limit their charitable causes to three, with your organization being one of them. We want more control over our environment and we have been quick to recognize this trend and use it to our advantage when and where we can.

Do you believe there has been a generational change of how donors approach giving?

People give to the ideas that they want to give to. If people are not giving, it might be the idea and not the age? If there is mission match and you are speaking to a mission driven donor, does age matter? However, if you are speaking about social capital, that is a different conversation all together. Access is the key. How can you deliver when you’re exclusive and at the edge? I believe it all starts with listening and being observant to the thoughts, concerns and conversations that are developing in the City first and foremost.

When you arrived at MOCAD in 2013, the museum had about 20,000 visitors a year. In 2017, there were almost 80,000 visitors. What strategies have you found most successful in increasing visitor numbers?

The city of Detroit is at an important inflection point. One rarely gets the chance in life to be part of building something truly special in partnership with an amazing community. I couldn’t be more thrilled to join the ranks of likeminded individuals, including Marsha Miro and Julie Reyes Taubman, who were visionary thinkers. I immediately felt and feel emboldened, empowered and embraced by MOCAD’s board, staff and community. We also maintain a donor database and an email marketing list. MOCAD has always exhibited incredible shows – I just needed to keep up and give the staff a platform for their rich ideas. It was something that I told myself every day on the way to the Museum: erase hurdles, give ideas a platform, give 110% because I expect that, so I have to give that as well.

How can the cultural sector best communicate its importance to society at large?

Go big and think how big can I get and how many can I take with me. We are visual so we should lead with visuals and easy-to-understand impact. I also always ask for feedback and advice. When people call me with direct feedback, that is the best-case situation. We want to deliver on our mission and be the best at what we do, and we do a lot. So, advice and feedback truly matters to us. We listen carefully.

How can the arts and cultural sector engage the next generation of young donors?  

Do something that they want to do….and that is squarely on mission with your organization. Social media connectivity with artists has changed how people are relating to and interacting with art. Growing up in Detroit, I was into puppets at the Detroit Puppet Museum, I went to Saturday morning art class at the Detroit Institute of Arts, I went to dance classes and to all kinds of museums. I became hyper-aware of the things that I took for granted, and the things I never knew were available for me. At MOCAD, I want to create a sense that art is for everyone, not just a specific audience. And the untraditional nature of MOCAD, in its architecture and programming, lends itself well to new arts audiences. We show the Warhols of tomorrow…and then sometimes we have a Richard Prince solo show that fuels critical dialogue. It’s also about removing the stigma around contemporary art and getting rid of the idea that you need to be a millionaire in order to collect art or to be a part of this ecosystem.

What legacy do you hope to leave?

As soon as I landed at MOCAD, I started to do the work that would be my legacy. This consists of three things:

1) MOCAD Teen Council: the MOCAD Teen Council is the collective voices of young leaders and acts as a platform for inspiration and empowerment for the youth in the metro Detroit area. By reinforcing MOCAD’s mission through a variety of activities, including teen nights, workshops, Family Day and the ESB/SKS Junior Docent program, Teen Council members are change makers within the city and state. They plan and lead community outreach events for teens throughout the city, contribute to MOCAD social media promotion and become vanguards within their communities. The Teen Council meets weekly and communicates throughout the year to plan and work on its initiatives and events. Members of the Teen Council participate in activities including college tours, financial workshops, portfolio reviews and museum and gallery visits to prepare for a post-secondary school experience and foster professional development. This is a paid position and very much rooted in becoming a responsible, curious college-bound individual. So far, we have watched 79 students graduate from high school – that is a 100 percent graduation level in a city where the literacy rate is 44 percent and the graduation rate is 67 percent. 98 percent of former Teen Council members have gone on to college to major in all types of fields, not exclusive to art. MOCAD is Detroit’s largest youth employer.

 2) Curatorial Fellowships: the curatorial fellowships are important as I want to build a pipeline of curators who have experience and can work across diverse organizations. The fellowship program is important to me as it pays an average curator salary plus travel and research, ensuring that the pool of applicants can come from diverse backgrounds.

 3) Staff Benefits: Lastly, providing some health benefits to part time staffers. If I can do it, everyone can.