New Maryhill Museum director reflects on first six months in position

“Coming to Maryhill Museum of Art has really been a privilege because there is such a legacy that I’m tasked with carrying forward as the incoming executive director,” Behrens said.

One thing about the Maryhill Museum that Behrens said has amazed her over and over again is the way it touches people’s lives, even years afterward.

“So many people that I’ve met over the past six months have a Maryhill story,” Behrens said. “And it starts with that first experience that they took as a child on a family trip, or most commonly on a school field trip. And I see that as being sort of central to what the museum stands for as this beacon for educational enrichment and it really shows, when people remember four or five, six, seven, eight decades later how important that experience was.”

Though her previous experience at Casa Romantica has helped her in her new role, Behrens said Maryhill’s unique history and role in the community is a change from what she was used to, but a very welcome one. Not only is the museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and home to many important collections, but it also has 5,300 acres of land, most of which it leases to farmers.

“Part of my role as executive director is to help the museum understand the highest and best use for those lands, so that we continue to steward the land itself, steward the relationships we have with the century farmers,” Behrens said. “It’s really unique because in an urban museum, you don’t have land assets around and you’re usually in a high-density population area.”

The museum’s connection to the land is something Behrens takes very seriously as part of her focus on sustainability. According to Behrens, sustainability has multiple facets, with one being the relevance to the people around them.

Museums have changed over time, which is something Behrens takes into account when planning events, she said. Museums used to just be a place where people could go to see art and connect with the past. Now, their role has expanded.

“In the 21st century, museums have become a place of dialogue with the communities around them, and they truly serve the communities around them,” Behrens said. “They’re expected to provide opportunities for education, and they’re expected to be relevant to the people that are living around them instead of simply displaying the collections in the museum’s holdings.”

Because of this, Behrens said one of her biggest goals is to create deeper connections with all of the museum’s neighbors in the Gorge. While they do receive visitors from all over the world, she wants to emphasize the value the museum has for people in its immediate community.

This focus on the local community helped inform the planned exhibits, including the upcoming exhibit that will show when the museum opens for the season. Titled “The Columbia River: Wallula to the Sea,” it aims to celebrate the ways humans have interacted with the river. The exhibit features approximately 70 historic and contemporary paintings and photographs.

Every year, the museum closes to the public from Nov. 15 to March 15. The upcoming exhibit will be open through the 2024 museum season. Behrens encourages people to come see it, as it truly serves as a tribute to the river, she said.

“People who live here have interacted with the river in many different ways,” she said. “In our school groups and with our adult visitors, everyone has a story about their interaction with the river.”

Maryhill Museum will reopen to the public on March 15. For more information about the museum and upcoming exhibitions, visit maryhillmuseum.org.