Inspiring Conversations with Rebekah Beaulieu of Taft Museum of Art

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebekah Beaulieu.

Hi Rebekah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I have been working in museums since the age of 16 – for me, it is truly a vocation more than a job. Over the past three decades, I received degrees from George Washington University, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Columbia University, and Boston University and have held positions in a variety of museums, from a small, Boston-area historical society where I was the sole employee to the Smithsonian Institution. This career path has meant a lot of moving over the years and, in 2022, brought me to the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Museums are indeed a tough career path: the field is oversubscribed, with many more people who want to work in museums than there are available jobs, and most museum roles require at least one graduate degree, a willingness to relocate if needed, and (I hate to say it) modest pay. I have been exceptionally fortunate to be able to build a sustainable career in this field. If anything, my path has been strengthened through my investment in building a skill set that includes strategic leadership, financial management, and operations. Many people – myself included! – are initially interested in curatorial or educational roles, in which they are undertaking research, building exhibitions, or leading programs. I would have never dreamed I would take accounting courses or learn my way around budgeting tools, but facing the fear of skills I never thought I could do has been challenging, but absolutely worth it. I have found that by taking a relatively untraditional path in which I focused on c-level functions to be most helpful in achieving senior museum roles.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Taft Museum of Art?
The Taft Museum of Art, as our mission states, specializes in creating meaningful experiences through great art in a historic setting. The museum combines a nationally significant fine art collection of over 800 objects with a 200-year-old historic house, offering visitors an experience that blends art, architecture, history, and storytelling. The Taft is known for Its unique historic house setting, the oldest in-situ wood-framed home in Cincinnati; the Duncanson Murals, completed by acclaimed Black painter Robert S. Duncanson in 1850 and widely recognized as the most important pre-Civil War domestic murals in the United States; and the rare opportunity to visit a remarkable collection of works by artists such as Rembrandt, Goya, Turner, and others in an intimate setting.

What truly sets the Taft apart is that visitors don’t simply look at art, they experience it within a place that is itself a work of art. The historic house, the nationally significant Duncanson murals, the gardens, exhibitions, educational programs, café, and community engagement initiatives all come together to create a totally unique experience. The Taft Museum of Art offers something exceptionally rare: an intimate, personal encounter with great art.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was born in New Hampshire before relocating to Milwaukee at the age of 8, and I feel like I have grown up fortunate to have a foot in New England and one in the Midwest for my entire life. While I was in college in Washington, DC, my parents returned to their home state of Maine before I moved to Milwaukee for my first graduate program in Art History. So in a way, I have always had anchors in two different regions and lifestyles. I have since lived in Chicago, New York, Boston, Maine, Connecticut, and now Cincinnati. This may make one think that I had a strong sense of wanderlust as a child, which was not the case; this somewhat nomadic lifestyle has been spurred by the unforeseen opportunities of my career. Since I was young, I’ve always loved the arts and reading, all of which crystallized in high school when I started studying art and thinking about a job in museums. I feel pretty lucky that my interests were identified early and I was able to enjoy the same things I do now from an early age.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.taftmuseum.org
• LinkedIn: www.LinkedIn.com/in/rebekahbeaulieu
• Other: www.rebekahbeaulieu.com