Dallas Contemporary, which began as a museum in 1978 but whose recent history has been marred by financial deficits and internal discord, has hired a new executive director, replacing Peter Doroshenko, whose contract expires in May.
Its new leader is Carolina Alvarez-Mathies, who was born and grew up in El Salvador in the midst of a civil war before immigrating to the United States when she was 15. She initially settled in Connecticut to attend the elite Ethel Walker School but then headed south to Texas Christian University, where she graduated in 2010 with a degree in fashion merchandising.
Dallas Contemporary moved to its current home in the Dallas Design District that same year, when it left its Swiss Avenue location in favor of a sprawling, 37,000-square-foot building at 161 Glass Street, where, since December 2019, Alvarez-Mathies has served as deputy director.
That was, of course, barely three months before the start of a national lockdown triggered by the coronavirus. Amid the ensuing crisis, she called it a time of opportunity and change.
“It’s been wild,” she said. “Honestly, I consider it one of my largest achievements to date.”
Early in her tenure, the museum shut its doors for 10 months. But, she said, “I’m so proud of the resilience that my team and I showed during this time.
“We looked inward and initiated a robust digital program. We kept the museum alive and active through online innovation,” which included a virtual exhibition that showcased the work of Jammie Holmes. She also played a role in the creation of an online store, which provided, in her words, “significant revenue to the museum at a time when we couldn’t be open.”
Even so, in the most recent, publicly available 990 tax form — covering the 2019 fiscal year, ending Dec. 31 of that year, before the lockdown began — Dallas Contemporary reported a deficit of $487,863.
But the 990 tax form for the 2020 calendar year — the year of the pandemic — shows that Dallas Contemporary managed to balance the books and finish $16,924 in the black.
In addition to expanded digital content, Alvarez-Mathies spearheaded the debut of the newly created online shop that she reports grossed more than $1 million in revenue during the troubled 12 months of 2020.
“There are financial challenges, but that’s been true for most arts institutions for quite some time,” she said. “That’s one of the reasons that I believe I am a great fit for the role.
“I come with fresh eyes, with a background in business and communications, and that’s one of the first things we’re going to turn around. I’m excited to find new revenue streams for the institution, to get it back to being the healthy place it was.”
John Sughrue, co-founder of the Dallas Art Fair and chairman of Dallas Contemporary’s board of directors, released a statement, praising his new director’s cosmopolitan résumé and entrepreneurial acumen:
“She is a visionary who brings a game-changing perspective that expertly considers the local context while drawing on her international background and global connections. We can’t wait to see how she will continue expanding the museum’s mission and shape the cultural landscape of Dallas and beyond.”
Alvarez-Mathies sees the museum — a “non-collecting institution,” which means no permanent collection — as being tasked with staging “the highest quality of exhibitions possible. So, I will be looking at financial health for the institution, most definitely.”
The press release announcing her hiring spoke of philanthropy that zeroes in on “social and community impact.”
“Philanthropy,” she said, “has changed. It is changing. We are going through the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in the history of mankind. The way that individuals used to give, the way that foundations used to give, has changed radically. And it’s time for us as institutions to adapt to the new realities of giving, to become more entrepreneurial, more sound and financially healthy.”
Dallas Contemporary has six full-time staff members, Alvarez-Mathies said. But soon after the winter storm of early 2021, two part-time employees were terminated. At the time, Doroshenko declined to discuss the matter with The Dallas Morning News.
The two women let go — Ciara Elle Bryant and Carrie Horton — said management cited financial reasons for dropping them from the payroll. Bryant, however, contends she was dismissed after demanding that the museum, in a staff-wide email, make a statement “about all the Asian hate crimes that were happening,” at a time when the museum was showcasing the work of two Asian artists.
She later took the added step of airing her concerns via an Instagram post that went viral in Dallas art circles.
More than a year after the dust-up, Alvarez-Mathies said:
“Because of our policy, I can’t really comment on past or present employee matters directly.”
But, she said, “My mission for Dallas Contemporary is strongly rooted in community. Diversity is personally extremely important to me, as a woman of color. I can’t comment on the past, but I have a new vision for the future. And the fact that there is a board of directors that elected a young woman of color for this position speaks to the future,” which she promised will “be centered around engagement, inclusivity and diversity.”
Before joining Dallas Contemporary, Alvarez-Mathies served as director of external affairs with the New York-based public arts non-profit, Creative Time. Her résumé also includes having served as head of communications at the Latin American cultural institution, El Museo del Barrio.
Doroshenko, who came to Dallas Contemporary from Ukraine in 2010, was fond of saying “this is not your grandmother’s art museum.” He prided himself on edgy shows with an international flair. His successor praised Doroshenko — whom she replaces May 1 — saying that during his 11-year tenure, he placed Dallas Contemporary “on the global map.”
