A Brooklyn woman who is currently associate director of the Brooklyn Historical Society has been named executive director of the Alice Austen House Museum. She succeeds Carl Rutberg in this capacity.This news was reported by Michael Fressola, a reporter at The Staten Island Advance.
Janice Monger, 37, expects to start work at the museum on April 1. "Ms. Monger is an excellent fit for the directorship," said David Goldfarb, president of the museum and chairman of the search committee. He added that her work at the historical society involved many of the same areas she will address at the Austen House -- "exhibitions, collections, fundraising, administration and visitors services," added The Advance.
The new director said to The Advance that she was pleased "to be joining an organization that has already done so many great things. I am already pretty passionate about Alice Austen's story. She was ahead of her time."
Ms. Monger was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, and graduated from Whitman College, added the article. "She came to New York 10 years ago to continue her education at New York University, which awarded her a master's degree in visual arts administration."
She said she was aware of Alice Austen's work before she applied for the job and was pleased to see several of her photographs last winter in "From Farm to City: Staten Island 1661-2012" at the Museum of the City of New York.
Today's Alice Austen House Museum, located at Hylan Boulevard in Staten Island was Austen's longtime family home, a "cottage" called "Clear Comfort," added The Advance. Then, nearly all of her capital evaporated in the stock market crash of 1929. Afterwards she was unable to continue her work as a photographer, according to the report.
Shortly before her death in 1952, Austen and her photographs were rediscovered by LIFE magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, according to The Advance. Twenty-five years later, "Clear Comfort" was rescued from near-certain demolition. It was restored and opened as a museum in 1985, stated The Advance.
A new show of Austen photographs, "Street Types" will open at the museum on April 14. The previous director of the Austen House, Carl Rutberg, resigned last fall after 10 years there.
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