January | February 2006 - Boston Photography Focus

interview | 17
INSIGHT: STAN TRECKER
Montserrat College of Art President Stan Trecker
holds an MFA in photography and printmaking
from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago,
an MBA from Indiana University, a BFA
from Columbia College and a BS in Business
Administration from Miami University. Trecker’s
11-year tenure as Executive Director of the
Photographic Resource Center (1980-1991) was
marked by tremendous growth for the organization
and the photography community including
a successful capital campaign that resulted,
among other benefits, in the development of the
PRC’s first comprehensive facility. Trecker left
the PRC to serve as the Art Institute of Boston’s
President—a post he held until he joined Montserrat
in 2003. He lives in Brookline with his
wife, Anne, and daughter. He is also the father
of two grown daughters.
Why photography
I started my career in banking. I had an MBA
and was working for a large bank in Chicago.
Coincidentally, one of my banking colleagues
was an active photographer and had a darkroom
in her home. She introduced me to
photography. I bought a camera and decided
to take a course at Columbia College. Eventually,
I decided that I didn’t want a long term
banking career. At the same time, my teacher
was organizing a semester class in Oaxaca,
Mexico. I jumped at the opportunity. For
six months, all I did was take pictures, talk
to other people about photography, and get
to know a new culture. It was life changing.
After I entered the graduate program at the
Art Institute of Chicago. During those years,
I was trying to figure out what I could do to
make a living. I started to realize that there
were arts institutions that needed people with
business skills. I got a job as the business manager
of MoMing Dance and Arts Center in
Chicago, which was doing cutting edge work,
mostly in contemporary dance. It allowed me
to see and be around people who were creating
new work all of the time. After I got my
degree, I started looking around the country
at photo organizations that might need my
skills. There were two jobs. One of them was
the Director of the PRC, and the other was
the Director of San Francisco Camerawork.
I applied for both, and I was offered both.
One of my teachers, Joyce Neimanas, told me
that she had great respect for the people at
the PRC. I interviewed and liked it. That was
really why I came.
Shortly after you arrived, the PRC began
growing dramatically. Why
The biggest thing that sparked the PRC to
grow and be more visible were the lectures.
We brought in people like Arnold Newman,
John Szarkowski, Bill Wegman, David Hockney
to [Boston University’s Morse Auditorium]
at least once a month. Even the most
casual person interested in photography could
get excited about hearing Hockney or Wegman
speak. It gave the institution a bigger
presence. Its success allowed us to think about
a new space, a better space, a larger space, a
library, an exhibition space, and gave us the
wherewithal to attract some new Board members
who had significant wealth themselves or
who could raise money.
When I came on as Director, the Board was
wonderful in its knowledge and commitment
to photography. Carl Chiarenza, Bart Parker,
and Jim Stone and others were absolutely
dedicated to the PRC and to photography.
However, there wasn’t a whole lot of business
experience and fund raising capacity involved
[on the Board]. Then John Parker, because of
Olivia [Parker] and Jack Naylor jumped in.
They enjoyed people like Don Perrin, who
was one of the few non-artists on the board,
and brought a real professionalism to the
board that was new to the institution. John
worked his way into being the President of the
Board, pretty rapidly. When we started thinking
about a capital campaign, John and Jack
were the ones that knew how to it.
What was your crowning achievement at
the PRC
Leading organizations like [the PRC] is a
labor of love. However, I tend to look back
at those years as some of the best that I have
had in my career because it was exciting.
Anita Douthat, who came on as the Curator
when we built the new space [602 Commonwealth
Avenue] was absolutely dynamic in
what she wanted to do, and did programming
that helped set the PRC apart. What a wonderful
curator! The building and opening
of the space, and the programming that
started to build from there, were the best
moments. It was really a wonderful time for
the organization.
What was your most challenging moment
The later years, 88, 89, when federal and state
funding started to dry up. The state was going
through its fiscal cycle, and the NEA was
facing censorship pressures. A lot of institutions,
not just the PRC, started to level off.
Some places closed. Taking an organization
and starting to scale it back was really tough.
Stan Trecker photographed by Terrence Morash.
The institution never had an endowment. It
was raising money year to year to survive, still
does, which makes [the organization] very
venerable to the vagaries of outside forces.
Those were the toughest times.
What’s going on at Montserrat
We are exploring exciting possibilities for
new facilities and have initiated the College’s
first-ever multi year fund raising campaign, to
which our supporters are really responding.
We have a show up right now called Plastic
Princess: Barbie as Art (through February 11).
Our curator, Leonie Bradbury put together
this show of artists around the country who
use Barbie as a theme in their art. It talks
about women’s’ issues and all sorts of really
pretty interesting stuff. It’s a terrific show and
getting a lot of public attention.
What do you think about the PRC’s direction
right now
The shows are still really wonderful and I love
the way that you are using the web to build
audience for what you are doing. I would give
attention to audience building activities, like
lectures—allowing you to introduce yourself
to new supporters and to get the name out
there. The PRC has a lot of respect in the
Boston community. I continue to hear that.
You have a good base to build on.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Insight presents interviews with photography
luminaries from the New England photography
community. To suggest individuals to be interviews
in future issues, please email prc@bu.edu.