The Alliance of Artists Communities announced on Wednesday the appointment of Caitlin Strokosch as the organization's executive director. On February 1, Strokosch will step down from her duties as program and communications director to assume the executive post. She will succeed Deborah Obalil, who has served for six years.
The fifteen-year-old nonprofit organization provides support to U.S. artist communities, colonies, and residencies, including the Mary Anderson Center for the Arts, Vermont Studio Center, the Espy Foundation, and Yaddo. The Alliance of Artists Communities offers workshops, funding partnerships, professional development programs, and other resources to its more than two hundred and fifty members, and, according to its Web site, advocates "on behalf of the field of artists' communities and creative environments in general to funders, researchers, policymakers, and the public."
During her time with the organization, Strokosch has organized conferences, helped create leadership and development programs, and launched "Be Our Guest," a series of information sessions for writers and other artists seeking residencies. Ann Brady, chair of the Alliance of Artists Communities Board of Trustees said of Strokosch, "Her leadership abilities are exceptional—her sensitivity to others' needs [has] helped to organize several disparate perspectives into a cohesive vision for the Alliance."
