World-traveling Evansville Museum chief finds home

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Bryan Knicely always felt the need to wander and explore.

Growing up in a small Ohio town will do that to you. It was nothing against Coshocton, but Knicely knew there was more in store for him beyond its city limits.

The Evansville Museum's new executive director, who took the helm mid-October, has traveled all over the world and worked in several different capacities within the arts community. But what he has found in Evansville is something he hasn't felt since his youth - a place to call home.

"Sometimes you can get so busy climbing and trying to experience everything life has to offer that you don't stop to think about what will make you happy," Knicely said. "I found everything and more upon moving here."

He took his first step along his winding and adventurous career path when he changed majors at the end of his junior year at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. Despite participating in several arts extracurriculars growing up, Knicely's parents wanted him to study "something serious" during his college tenure. The thought of being an accountant and crunching numbers everyday wasn't for Knicely though, so he made the switch to managing and marketing with eyes toward a career in law.

Despite many law school acceptances, Knicely still wondered if becoming a lawyer was his true calling. After graduation, he decided to pack up his car and travel 8,000 miles across the country to clear his head. What he discovered along the way was a desire to pursue a career in the arts - a pursuit he truly began at The Ohio State University where he received a masters of arts in art administration and policy.

It's been full-speed ahead since Knicely's Buckeye days. He would move onto several different roles in diverse arts institutions across the country, many of which gave him the opportunity to work internationally. He has worked with the Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, the Maine Arts Commission, several different organizations in Columbus, Ohio, including the Greater Columbus Arts Council and most recently the Coral Springs Museum of Art in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, as its executive director.

You wouldn't know that his career was full of glittering accolades and achievements though. When reflecting on his career to this point, Knicely lingers on the beauty of coastal Maine or his love/hate relationship with the Ft. Lauderdale heat rather than the innovative arts programming he brought to the organizations he served while living there.

Knicely's experience working in varying disciplines made his transition into the executive director role seamless, said Mary Bower, who served at the museum's interim director following John Streetman retirement in 2012 after more than 37 years in the role.

"We are absolutely thrilled to have (Knicely,)" said Bower, chief curator and the Virginia G. Schroeder Curator of Collections for the museum. "We are really focusing on how to incorporate all the disciplines of the museums to future exhibitions and programs."

Bower's guidance in the construction and opening of the Evansville Museum's new wing and Koch Immersive Theatre has inspired Knicely to explore new and diverse ways of experiencing art for future exhibitions and programs. Many of his goals for the museum stem from strengthening it's ties to the region through partnerships and outreach. Knicely is also looking to update the River Town exhibit to be even more true to Evansville, as well as bringing in new technology for more interactive learning for visitors.

The city and region's heritage has always been a pillar at the museum but will be especially prominent in the coming years with the state's bicentennial in 2016. Bower said she and Knicely are in the planning stages for a multiple-disciplinary exhibition focusing on the Ohio River Valley.

While walking through the museum's permanent collection, Knicely's eyes glimmered behind his thick-framed glasses as he scanned the art on display. The expansiveness of the collection still amazes him, and he said he has great respect for those who have shaped and cultivated the museum before his arrival.

"What brought me here were the people - those who I now work with and those who take residence here," Knicely said. "They've shaped what I've come into, and I want to build upon the great work they've done."

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Information from: Evansville Courier & Press, http://www.courierpress.com