CCA News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 6, 2010

Center for Contemporary Arts Announces
Craig Anderson as new Executive Director

The Center for Contemporary Arts of Santa Fe (CCA) announced today that long-time arts professional Craig Anderson has been named the new Executive Director of the Santa Fe arts organization, effective July 30 2010. "Craig has been highly regarded in the Santa Fe arts community for many years," said CCA Board President John C. Bienvenu. "He’s played an integral role in the many of the most important arts institutions in this community, including SITE Santa Fe, the Museums of New Mexico and the Institute of American Indian Arts. We couldn’t be happier that he’s agreed to return to Santa Fe. He’s worked with a remarkable array of contemporary artists and museum professionals with national and international reputations and has the respect of artists, art patrons and museum professionals alike. Now that CCA’s future has been solidified and we’re looking forward to an era of new growth, we couldn’t ask for a better person to lead CCA into its next phase."

Anderson will be leaving the Miami Art Museum, where he currently serves as Assistant Director for Exhibitions and Collections, and returning to Santa Fe to accept this position. "This is a great opportunity to lead a unique arts institution at a pivotal time in its long history," Anderson said. "CCA’s strong cinematic offerings, multi-disciplinary public programming and memorable exhibitions have provided support to a wide spectrum of artists, film and media professionals, musicians and performers; all the while serving broad communities and audiences and expanding the arts and cultural community in Santa Fe. Among the many fine arts and cultural institutions in New Mexico, CCA's contribution has been very significant. The recent strong and insightful leadership from CCA's board exemplifies a dedication and a belief in the extraordinary vision that CCA continues to pursue. My intention is to ensure that CCA continues to grow as a resilient contemporary arts venue, while reflecting the diverse artistic communities of Santa Fe and beyond."

Anderson succeeds interim director John Gordon, who is now serving as President of the College of Santa Fe. "CCA wouldn’t be where it is today without John Gordon's wise leadership during this time of transition and we are immensely grateful for his indispensable contributions," said CCA Board President Bienvenu. Gordon will continue to serve on CCA's board of directors.

About Craig Anderson
Craig Anderson is an artist, educator, curator, exhibitions designer, and professional museum administrator. Just prior to accepting the position of Executive Director of the Center for Contemporary Art, he has been Assistant Director for Exhibitions and Collections at the Miami Art Museum in South Florida. Anderson has also been the Director of Exhibits Central at the Museums of New Mexico and Head of Exhibitions Administration at SITE Santa Fe. He was also Department Head for painting, photography and printmaking, as well as Chair of the Faculty Council at the Institute of American Indian Arts for many years. He received an M.F.A in Painting and Video from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a B.A. in Fine Arts from Hamline University in Minnesota. Early in his career, he held positions at the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Art, before working for a number of contemporary artists in Venice Beach, CA and maintained a studio in Austin, Texas while teaching at Southwest Texas University.

About the Center for Contemporary Arts
The mission of the Center for Contemporary Arts (CCA) is to create, maintain and promote a vibrant regional gathering place for the exploration and presentation of diverse and challenging contemporary art forms and ideas through its interdisciplinary programs in film, digital media, visual arts, performance and ongoing educational outreach. CCA’s primary objective is to encourage creative and innovative artworks as they emerge from the community CCA serves. CCA’s outreach programs and artistic programming reflect the needs and interests of the community and CCA actively seeks youth and underserved populations to participate in exploring diverse art forms in the context of contemporary culture.

For More Information Contact:
Kim Schiffbauer
505-501-1808
kimschiffbauer@gmail.com

To download a PDF of this press release click HERE