Professional Profile

Dr. Charlie Garling is a museum executive specializing in strategic integration of learning, interpretation, and public engagement in major art museums.

He leads cross-departmental strategies that shape how museums design and deliver public experience, with a focus on interpretation, audience engagement, and civic and university partnerships.

He has held leadership roles during major institutional transformation, including capital redevelopment projects and organizational restructuring.

His work integrates education, interpretation, programming, and accessibility into coordinated approaches that support long-term audience relevance and public value.

Core Leadership Areas

Institutional Leadership

  • Senior leadership team member at a major art museum

  • Cross-departmental strategy and coordination systems

  • Organizational restructuring and team architecture

  • Policy and systems development during institutional transformation

Learning, Interpretation & Public Experience

  • Institution-wide interpretation frameworks across exhibitions, programs, and audience engagement

  • Education strategy design for diverse audiences (K–12, adult, intergenerational, access)

  • Integration of education, interpretation, and engagement

  • Development of participatory and co-creation museum models

Capital Projects & Institutional Transformation

  • Leadership during large-scale museum redevelopment and reopening

  • Design of visitor experience infrastructure and learning environments

  • Alignment of programmatic strategy with architectural and spatial transformation

Civic & University Partnerships

  • Municipal, educational, and community partnership development

  • University museum collaboration

  • Community advisory council leadership

Team & Organizational Leadership

  • Leadership of multidisciplinary teams across education, interpretation, engagement, and accessibility

  • Hiring, restructuring, and succession planning

  • Development of cross-functional planning systems and workflows

Revenue-Linked Program Strategy

  • Oversight of programmatic revenue growth and diversification

  • Collaboration with advancement/development teams on donor engagement and solicitations

  • Integration of audience strategy with institutional sustainability goals

Select Institutional Experience

Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Director of Learning & Creativity (Senior Leadership Team), 2022-Present

  • Provide strategic leadership across learning, interpretation, audience engagement, community engagement, accessibility, and partnerships

  • Directed redesign of audience engagement systems during major capital transformation and reopening

  • Oversaw development of new learning environments including studios, family spaces, and play-based learning initiatives

  • Designed institution-wide interpretive framework for exhibitions and public experience

  • Led cross-departmental planning systems integrating programming, operations, and strategy

Detroit Institute of Arts

Director, Studio Programs, 2015-2022

  • Led public engagement and studio-based learning programs within a major encyclopedic art museum

  • Managed multidisciplinary team of educators and teaching artists

  • Developed public art initiatives in partnership with municipalities, community organizations, and artists

  • Expanded institutional reach through civic engagement and cross-sector partnerships

Leadership Approach

  • He believes museums are most effective when strategy, people, and public experience are intentionally aligned to advance institutional mission while fostering meaningful experiences that strengthen community relevance and public trust.

Education

  • Ed.D., University at Buffalo

  • M.A., Curriculum and Instruction, Michigan State University

  • B.F.A., Art Education, Michigan State University

Speaking & National Engagement

  • FRAME panelist (2025)

  • MuseumNext presenter (2023)

  • Michigan Downtown Association conference presenter (2021)

  • National media and podcast interviews on museum transformation and civic engagement

Executive CV available upon request