The Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn announced Wednesday that Catherine Underhill, former executive director of View Art Center in Old Forge, will become its new executive director on August 25. She is a Syracuse native with a long history in arts leadership.
“I’ve spent my entire career in the arts,” she said. “No matter what discipline – visual art, dance, music, theatre – the arts provide an important opportunity to inspire and engage community members of all ages. A core component of our work is to provide the tools to help people intersect with the art, because it’s here to inspire, to provoke thought, and to engage people.”
Underhill has an undergraduate degree in art history from the University of New Hampshire, a masters in the same topic from the University of Colorado in Boulder, and a master’s in public administration from Harvard University.
She has held leadership positions in arts organizations in several locations, including Atlanta, Denver, and Boulder, CO, before returning to Central New York in 2013 to serve as managing director for Symphoria, now the Syracuse Orchestra. She later served as director of development at Everson Museum before taking over at View Art Center.
Early inspiration for Underhill’s career in the arts came from a year spent as a high school exchange student in Peru. “The food, the architecture, the clothing, the music, all of the cultural indicators were so important in beginning to understand the people and the place and the history – especially early on when I didn’t speak Spanish,” she said. So I think that’s where I got interested in art history.”
Underhill is planning to take the same approach with the Schweinfurth. She plans to immerse herself in learning about the organization, its programs, audiences, and the communities it serves, then working to expand its reach and standing.
“(Retiring Executive Director) Donna Lamb’s leadership over the last 25 years has been extraordinary, and the team now at Schweinfurth is very strong,” Underhill said. ”I’m fortunate that both provide a platform for further growth. I’d like to explore strategies to build on this legacy and see what we can do to continue to expand and engage more people locally, regionally, and potentially nationally.
“This is a wonderful opportunity, because (the Schweinfurth) has a rich history and a strong reputation, diverse programming, and great exhibitions,” she continued. “I look forward to working with Schweinfurth’s creative and inspired staff and board.”
She also looks forward to getting to know Auburn and working with other site directors through Auburn’s Historic and Cultural Sites Commission. “I look forward to meeting my colleagues and learning more about the whole cultural scene here,” she said. “For a relatively small community, it certainly seems to have a lot going on!”
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