I often observe that if a museum is doing its job well, exhibitions and public programs appear effortless— as if complex exhibitions comprising loans from around the world or elaborately imagined symposia simply spring forth from the sea, like Venus from her shell, without the talents of many. The reality, of course, is a strong and vibrant team that makes that effort look, well, effortless—our staff, campus colleagues, students, and volunteers.

The Museum’s staff is now at a historic peak in size—about sixty-five professionals ranging from administrators to curators to registrars to art handlers to facilities specialists to security guards. With a staff of ten in eight areas of specialization, the curatorial department is one of our largest—and is the engine, working with our education and publications departments, that drives the institution’s content, from exhibitions to acquisitions. Ranging in specialization from the art of ancient Greece and Rome, or South America, to international contemporary art to gallery-based interpretation, the curators, educators, and editors shape the material that is explored in the galleries. Yet without designers, who consider how best to visually present their ideas; registrars who make complex shipping arrangements and who oversee 72,000 works of art; a facilities team that ensures that our building is in fine form and fully operational; art handlers who physically prepare the exhibitions; fundraisers and business managers who make sure that the needed resources are secured and the bills are paid; and the guards who protect both the art and our visitors, their ideas would remain just that—ideas, without the physical form that brings them to the public.

Our staff is supported by the talents of campus colleagues, without whom we would require a much larger team. The University’s general counsel routinely reviews our contracts and interprets state and federal law for us. Campus engineers and architects advise on gallery refurbishment and the installation of campus art, while University administrators partner with us constantly on matters of budget, recruitment, facilities, maintenance, and a host of practical details. Programmatic colleagues and faculty represent an active “brain trust” that any museum would envy— and find impossible to assemble. These “hidden” assets add immeasurably to our capacity.

Students are also invaluable resources. Whether as academic-year or summer interns, employees in the Museum Store, or volunteers preparing and delivering the tours and gallery talks that punctuate our calendar most weekends of the academic year, Princeton University students augment our efforts while gaining critical real-world skills and experiences. The students who serve on the reinvigorated Student Advisory Board give us valuable insights and continuity in our efforts—not least considering how best to navigate the constantly evolving world of new media.

Our volunteer corps brings benefit to us that we could simply never afford were it not for the generosity of their contributed efforts. From the ninety-strong docent team, which is to my mind unequaled in their devotion and knowledge, to the members of our Friends Board and its various committees, to the individuals who diligently staff our information desk, to others who work at tasks ranging from organizing day-trips to providing office support, these volunteers contribute thousands of hours each year, making us a nimble and efficient organization—and we don’t recognize them often enough.

When I was invited to join Princeton two years ago, our resources—the caliber and scope of collections assembled across more than two centuries, the research resources of our libraries and archives, the endowments that allow us to plan confidently for the future—clearly set the Princeton University Art Museum apart. Yet none of these surpass the complex organism that is our human capacity, a resource that enriches us every day.

James Christen Steward Director