On August 25, staff at The Ohio State University’s Wexner Center for the Arts sent a letter of no confidence in the leadership of Executive Director Gaëtane Verne to university officials, Columbus media reports matter information. The agency came under scrutiny this fall amid reports that high turnover, financial woes and workplace dysfunction under Verne led to declining employee morale.
“Over the past three years, we believe her approach has resulted in high turnover, organizational dysfunction, financial instability and reputational damage,” the letter reads, quoted News about everything.
Ohio State University spokesman Ben Johnson told the media that the university “received the letter, took the allegations seriously, and are reviewing them through our established processes.” The letter was reportedly signed by 13 employees at the Wexner Center, which Johnson said has 70 employees.
The 27 museum employees represented by Wex Workers United did not receive the letter because the union has its own protocol for filing grievances with museum leadership. “However, we support our colleagues at the Wexner Center in their efforts to create a healthy, equitable and sustainable workplace,” a union representative told News about everything.
It has been nearly a year since this letter was sent. columbus telegram published a report in which Wexner staff detailed a “dysfunctional culture perpetuated by the museum’s executive director” that forced more than two dozen employees to leave. A survey published a month later showed allergicSeveral former and current staffers, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, accused Werner of chronic workplace dysfunction, financial mismanagement, hostility toward the union and impulsive decision-making. Verna was appointed to the position in November 2022.
Wexner Center staff echoed some of those claims in the letter, citing new examples of alleged financial irresponsibility, such as the university issuing a “red card” to the center due to financial turmoil and launching a major capital project with a reported budget of $1 million that allegedly lacked “transparent budgeting, staff consultation, or a complete feasibility study.” The letter also criticized Werner’s decision to use university funds for a series of exhibition catalogues, a project that the signatories said would cost more than $200,000 and raise “serious questions about equity, transparency and responsible use of the budget.”
They also reiterated concerns that high turnover rates are leading to a decline in employee morale. this columbus telegram It was reported in August that 23 employees had departed since Verna took over the center’s leadership role, citing current and former employees and human resources documents. The center’s director of development operations and director of finance and administration both announced their departures that month. In July, two employees were reportedly laid off due to “a lack of funding for the Wexner Center,” Welner wrote in an email announcing the news.
“Nearly 50 percent of the staff has left since Verna’s arrival, including experienced department heads and senior professionals,” the letter said. “Former employees have consistently cited her leadership as a factor in their departure.” The letter also said that seven members of the center’s foundation board resigned last year, “further destabilizing governance and continuity.”
In a statement emailed to News“I strive to create a respectful workplace where everyone feels comfortable sharing thoughts and ideas. This approach has been consistent throughout my leadership, both at the Wexner Center for the Arts and at previous institutions,” Werner said. “To my knowledge, the school is reviewing the letter through established procedures and I cannot comment further at this time,” she added.
art news The Wexner Center for the Arts has been contacted for comment.
