BROOKLYN—January 16, 2019—UrbanGlass announces the appointment of Devin Mathis as its Executive Director, effective today. After a national search, the Board of Directors selected Mathis to lead the iconic organization, based in the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District. Mathis joins UrbanGlass from the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy in New York, where she was the Director of Programs, leading nearly five hundred cultural, recreational, and educational programs annually.
“My admiration for UrbanGlass and its commitment to artists and artistic innovation is unparalleled. I look forward to working with the exceptional staff, board members, funders, and artists to expand the capacity and reach of UrbanGlass in the national and global community,” states Devin Mathis.
Board Chair Larry Pitterman noted, “Both the Board and our senior staff unanimously recognized that Devin was exactly the right person at the right time for UrbanGlass. Her unique blend of programmatic, management, and contemporary art expertise will further our visibility and impact among the hundreds of artists and designers who wish to develop personally and professionally at our world-class facility. Her deep roots in Brooklyn and New York will help extend our public and educational programming to increasingly diverse audiences.”
Mathis is a career-long advocate for direct support to artists, committed to creating access to high-quality arts programs for all. Prior to the Conservancy, she was the Deputy Director of ArtBridge, a public arts non-profit that collaborates with emerging and mid-career artists to transform their neighborhoods through art. While at ArtBridge, she conceptualized and delivered major large-scale exhibitions across New York City. These exhibitions – in partnership with art world luminaries such as Mickalene Thomas, Vik Muniz, and Rujeko Hockney – engaged local constituents and artists in transforming public spaces into expressions of artistic, cultural, and neighborhood identity.
Mathis has a Master of Arts and Cultural Management from the Pratt Institute with a focus on building creative capital in communities that are recovering from natural disasters. She is an alumna of the prestigious Coro Leadership New York program, 2016.
About UrbanGlass:
Established in New York City in 1977, UrbanGlass fosters experimentation and advances the use and critical understanding of glass as a creative medium. UrbanGlass is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization located in the Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District. UrbanGlass’ dynamic programming provides opportunities for hands-on making, robust educational opportunities for all ages, as well as year-round free public programs and exhibitions highlighting the uses of glass in contemporary art and design. Its studio provides access to and education about glass as a creative material to more than 11,000 artists, students, and members of the public each year.
UrbanGlass relies on the generous support of many public and private supporters who help to keep our studios pristine and our programs accessible to a diverse audience.
Press contact:
Shayna McClelland
Shayna@mcclellandco.com
347.744.5991
UrbanGlass
647 Fulton Street,
Brooklyn, NY 11217
info@urbanglass.org
(718) 625-3685
www.urbanglass.org