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GRAM announces Foley as next director and CEO

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Grand Rapids Art Museum board of trustees has announced the appointment of Cindy Meyers Foley as its next director and C-E-O.

The GRAM says Foley's first day on the job will be June 5th. The appointment comes after an extensive national search led by the GRAM Executive Search Committee.

Dana Friis-Hansen announced earlier this year that he would be stepping down as director after nearly 12 years on the job.

The museum provided more information in a news release:

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Foley is an accomplished non-profit executive with 30 years in the arts and museum sector, bringing proven expertise in executive leadership and a passion for building innovative, community-centered experiences. Foley comes to GRAM after a 17-year tenure at the Columbus Museum of Art, where she most recently served as the Scantland Family Executive Deputy Director for Learning, Experience and Engagement since 2015. 

“I am honored to have been selected as the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s next Director and CEO,” commented Foley. “GRAM is a national model for evolving to meet the needs of its community, and I can't wait to work alongside such an innovative team. It is especially meaningful to be joining the arts community in a city that is growing and thriving, a perfect place for a museum and its partners to be catalysts for community creativity.” 

Foley has held various roles throughout her career in development, curatorial, learning, and administration, and prior to the CMA, she worked at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio, and the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) in Portland, Maine. 

During her time as Director of Education and Curator with the ICA, Foley curated over 12 thoughtful and engaging exhibitions, including:  Back from NatureThe Sportsman Redux (2005)Living GreenExamining Sustainability (2004), and Playground (2002)

At the Columbus Museum of Art, Foley envisioned and led the opening of the 18,000-square-foot Center for Creativity, an experimental hub for creativity that welcomes over 200,000 visitors per year, and was critical to several nationally recognized projects, including Wonder School, a museum/university laboratory preschool, and the Center for Art and Social Engagement, an experimental gallery developed to activate conversation, reflection, and action in relation to art that addresses social issues.

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