10:59am | One of Long Beach’s biggest tourism draws will search for a new director after the sudden departure of Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) president Richard P. Townsend came to light this week.
Townsend held the positions of president and CEO for just under two years before informing the board of directors that he will leave last week. Townsend’s last day on the job was Tuesday.
The Los Angeles Times caught up with Burke Gumbiner, museum co-chair and son of philanthropist and MOLAA founder Dr. Robert Gumbiner [LAT]:
[Townsend] met with us and said he wanted to pursue other opportunities,” said Burke Gumbiner, museum co-chair. “It was voluntary. We thanked him for his contribution. We like the artistic program and are going to continue the artistic program.”
MOLAA is one of Southern California’s most highly-respected art museums and the nation’s only museum dedicated specifically to Latin American art. Townsend hired Cecilia Fajardo-Hill as chief curator and the two received accolades for the collections they produced in recent years. Fajardo-Hill will remain in her current position.