The Erie Art Museum‘s executive director is departing and a temporary leader has been chosen.
Laura Domencic will leave her position, effective Oct. 22, the museum announced in a news release the same day. Jude Shingle, the museum’s communications director, was named interim director by the Board of Directors while it determines the next steps for the facility’s leadership.
No reason was given for Domencic’s departure and neither she nor Shingle could immediately be reached for comment.
Exhibitions, programs and events at the museum, 20 E. Fifth St., will continue as scheduled, according to the release.
Domencic’s time at the museum
Domencic served as executive director for five years, during which the museum presented exhibitions of regional and national artists, restored in-person programming after the pandemic, and completed the renovation of the Customs House stairs, the release stated.
Laura Domencic, executive director of the Erie Art Museum is shown March 11, 2021 at the museum. Domencic, a Pittsburgh native, has brought together resources and educators and ideas as the director, for 11 years, of the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.
She previous served as the director of the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. She came to the Erie museum in 2021 after Joshua Helmer left in 2020 over questions about his behavior toward women at the Erie Art Museum and at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the staff, the artists and the community in growing the exhibitions and educational programming,” Domencic said in the release. “It has been a rewarding experience for me both professionally and personally.”
Board President Angie McClimans, in the release, thanked Domencic.
“We are grateful for her work and for the relationships she built with artists, staff and partners,” McClimans said. “As the museum looks ahead, the board is committed to a steady, thoughtful transition and to the long-term strength of this institution.”
Interim director
Jude Shingle, Erie Center for Arts and Technology
Shingle brings leadership and organizational experience to the interim role, according to the news release. He has worked across marketing, programming and development and previously served as executive director of the Erie Center for Arts & Technology.
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“I’m honored by the board’s trust and grateful to Laura for her work on behalf of this museum,” Shingle said. “The Erie Art Museum belongs to this community, and our job right now is to listen, to take a clear-eyed look at where we stand, and to make sure this institution is here for the artists and audiences who rely on it. I look forward to working with our staff, board and community in the weeks ahead.”
Dana Massing can be reached at dmassing@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Domencic leaving Erie Art Museum. Shingle to fill in as interim director