This is not an era for anyone faint of heart, but those invested in the arts must navigate our current times with an added ounce of fortitude. Symphonies are shutting down, nonprofit arts programs are imperiled, museums are merging.

Perhaps fortitude was one of the criteria for the Honolulu Academy of Arts as it combed the country for its new director, because in Stephan Jost it has found someone who actually embraces the kind of challenge that has many organizations buckling.

Jost joins the museum at a time of unprecedented transition, with the academy and The Contemporary Museum slated to merge this year. (He will take the helm May 2.) Jost has a reputation for taking troubled institutions and turning them around, and his governing anchor through good times and bad is based in connection with the community.

"The two institutions have great histories, but it’s not about the museums — it’s about the audiences," he says. "The questions we should be asking are: Do we bring great art? Is the community engaged? Do we serve the public well? It’s the task of museums to make ourselves relevant."

In responding to these questions, the academy, like most arts institutions, has limited resources to tap. But Jost has a reputation for being a penny-pincher and doing a lot with less. He says careful budgeting decisions will need to be made.

"With limited resources, every penny not spent on benefiting the public directly needs to be looked at. For instance, do we need two graphic designers? Maybe not. But do we need an arts educator? Maybe so," he says. "The boon economy is not coming back tomorrow. We’ve got to figure out how to do things with what we’ve got."

JOST SAYS the offer to head up the academy was alluring because of the museum’s "amazing history."

"Anna Rice Cooke started the academy with the idea that it should exist to educate the diverse community of Hawaii," he says. "It’s a great mission, and she did this 50 years before anyone else was thinking about it."

He’s a great believer in drawing communities to museums that have been untapped in the past. It’s a challenge that has stumped previous directors, even in better economic times. But Jost has a track record for success.

At the Shelburne Museum in Vermont, where Jost has been serving as director since 2006, he revitalized and expanded education and family programs that serve tens of thousands of people.

At Mills College Art Museum in Oakland, Calif., where he was director from 2002 to 2006, he increased attendance 50 percent during his first year there. A project that reflects his approach was an exhibit showcasing the history of African-American photography.

Jost says appealing to an uninterested African-American community required identifying and approaching its organized community.

"For the African-American community that is the church," he says. "We hosted formal teas for the pastors, then made 10,000 fans for church members with images of the exhibit on it. For three hours we had a captive audience (during church)."

IN APPROACHING Hawaii’s community, Jost believes his first step is to listen.

"I’m coming from a small state in New England. I can’t pretend to know what Oahu’s all about. I want to really hear what people are saying," he says. "I need the first three months to get to know staff. I’ve got to figure out how the staff and the board can help me to have a conversation with the parts of the community we don’t have access to."

Jost realizes part of the dilemma is related to cultural differences, and he says he understands cultural complexity. His parents were immigrants from Switzerland, and he has a strong cultural identity in being Swiss.

"Sometimes I feel Swiss, sometimes I feel American," he says.

And though it’s been historically challenging to engage certain cultures with museums, he says he’s not stymied by the challenge.

"We all have multiple identities, but Hollywood’s somehow managed to get all of us to the theater to see ‘Avatar,’" he says. "Bottom line is, has the institution made people feel really welcome?"

For all the challenges awaiting Jost at the academy, he says it’s imperative for all involved to be optimistic.

"It’s tough to deal with when things happen like symphonies closing," he admits. "But look, we’ve got a beautiful building, a pretty great board and pretty great donors. There’s a strong staff and a great collection. There’s a community that could be engaged at a greater level, but I’d be worried if everything was perfect — where would we go from there?"