Board ousts leadership of Pratt Fine Arts Institute

By Paul de Barros
Seattle Times staff reporter

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In a staff shake-up, the top two leaders at the Pratt Fine Arts Institute, the 26-year-old arts school in Seattle's Central Area, have left their posts.

Executive Director Simon Siegl was encouraged to resign and Deputy Director Damian Murphy's job was eliminated on Nov. 4, school officials said.

"In discussions with Simon, he realized that whatever shortcomings he had in moving us to the next level, it would be in the best interest of the agency — and of him — if he resigned," said board member Michael Walker, chairman of a four-person team temporarily managing the college. The decision to eliminate Murphy's position was a "cost-saving measure," he added.

Siegl had been at Pratt two years; Murphy, 13 years.

A nonprofit arts institution, Pratt offers a variety of classes in arts subjects including glass, metal casting, welding, ceramics, painting, sculpture, drawing and printmaking. It began as the Seattle Parks Department entity City Art Works, and serves about 3,000 students a year.

The school is named after the late Edwin T. Pratt, the Seattle Urban League executive director who was murdered by an unknown assailant in 1969.

The school is in the middle of a $25 million capital campaign and expansion, which included the purchase of two former Wonder Bread bakery buildings across the street from the campus, at 19th Avenue South and South Main Street.

The school has expanded classes into those buildings and plans to replace one of them with a larger facility.

Murphy started as a volunteer 15 years ago, served briefly as interim executive director before Siegl was hired, and was the institution's first deputy director.

Murphy called his termination "relatively sudden." He speculated that it stemmed from a change in board leadership. In June, Chris Abrass came on as board president. A 12-member executive committee — out of a total of 30 on the board — made the staff changes.
 
Siegl declined to be interviewed. Siegl previously worked as executive director of the Washington Wine Commission. Abrass said Siegl was hired for his strong skills in "getting recognition" for the school and "did an outstanding job."

As the school expanded, however, it needed a leader with "more education experience," she said.

A search committee is being formed to find an interim executive director. Walker expects to have someone in place by the end of the year.

Pratt received a $1 million challenge grant in 2002 from the Allen Foundation, which it has matched. That same year, the school laid off four of its 20 staff members.

According to Marketing and Public Relations Director Cat Martin, the school is on track for record registration.

Fiscally, the school "is running where we expect to be, but not where we'd like to be," and will probably show a slight deficit this year, Abrass said.

Paul de Barros: 206-464-3247 or pdebarros@seattletimes.com