A Rourke Awakening

By Millie Hanson
Contributing Writer

The only constant in life is change. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us and in fact we should be used to it. Even wanted change is stressful – it necessitates new ways of thinking, new routines, uncertainty. It can be a much anticipated opportunity at best, an inevitable, unwelcome, long-lasting set of new circumstances at worst.

The Chinese have a curse: “May you live in interesting times.” That will be certainly the case when Tania Blanich takes over the lead role next month at the Rourke.

With James O’Rourke’s sudden passing in March 2011, there were no plans in place for the Rourke Art Museum or the Rourke Art Gallery, no time to pass the torch to another director who would train under Jim’s watchful eye. John Rowell stepped up to the role as interim director with the grace it required and kept watch over them both until a new director could be found.

“It really feels like I’m going to the right place at the right time.”

Tania Blanich is a Fargo native and a graduate of North High School. She grew up surrounded by art and artists. Her mother, Beverly Halbeisen Blanich, taught dance for four decades at the Halbeisen School of Dance in Fargo. She also co-founded the F-M Community Theater where she met Tania’s father Louis.

There was always art around the house, Blanich recalls, and she has wonderful memories of visiting Europe for the first time at nine, and remembers visiting The British Museum and The Louvre.

When asked about the move back to her hometown, Tania is enthused about the great job and the great opportunity that becoming the Rourke‘s new visionary entails. She likes the excitement of places that are in transition. She also spoke of coming back to family.

“In New York City, you make up your family. In Lexington they’re tied to land, tradition and family.”

Blanich earned her B.A. at the University of Michigan and went on to New York University for an M.A. from the Wagner School of Public Service. Later when she was at LexArts in Kentucky, it became apparent to her that she had the same strong family connection, only in the Midwest.

“I’m a steward. It’s not going to be the Blanich museum,” she laughs when pressed about how she’s going to proceed.

“It’s a moment for the organization to assess where they’ve been and where they want to go.”

One gets the sense of a cat’s careful paws treading a high stair railing rather than an uncaring tornado blowing down Main Street.

”I don’t want to fix what’s not broken.”

F-M is fortunate to get someone of her caliber and with her qualifications. Blanich has more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit and arts management. This includes her stint as the Chief Operating Officer at LexArts in Lexington, Kentucky, a dozen years directing the Program For Media Artists in New York, and curating in places like the Guggenheim. In addition, she has published her writing at international universities.

In her work for the Program for Media Artists (Rockefeller Foundation international initiative supporting creation of innovative film video and new media projects), one of the key components in her role were her communication efforts to support and promote the artists and their work. She is cautious about making future plans, citing the need to look at demographics of who visits the Rourke.

“It’s fun to imagine how you can impact both artists and patrons.” She wants to help develop a new crop of artists and train them to exhibit in galleries and museums, bringing more interest to the audience. She also wants to support established artists whom Jim supported.

One of the many things on her to-do list are to figure out how to get involved with the three local universities, counting them as fantastic resources.

“My goal is not to walk into the Rourke and turn everything on its head, [but] instead respect the deep foundation that’s been laid and the collection itself.”

The museum’s permanent collection doubled in size when O’Rourke bequeathed his own privately owned artworks upon his death. But again, Blanich is conscious of not fragmenting or diminishing either the Rourke Museum or the Rourke Art Gallery.

“An organization can have a very broad mission, like the Rourke does, [but] have to be careful of mission creep.” (Referring to an organization’s mission going beyond its original goals, often after its first successes.)

“It’s not a moribund organization that needs to be totally revamped – I’m not taking over a bankruptcy,” she laughs again.

Building a consensus to move forward. Hearing what people in the community have to say. That kind of sensitivity to change is welcomed.

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