Danforth Art's French to retire
Coutesy of Danforth Art
After a decade at the helm, Katherine French will leave Danforth Art Jan. 1, making her the longest-serving director in the institution's nearly 40-year history.
The woman responsible for moving Danforth Art into Framingham’s historic Jonathan Maynard Building announced Monday that she will retire at the end of the year.
After a decade at the helm, Katherine French will leave her role as director of the art museum and school Jan. 1, making her the longest-serving director in the institution’s nearly 40-year history.
Danforth Art’s board of trustees has established a search committee to oversee a national search for a new director.
“My 10 years at Danforth Art have been satisfying and rewarding,” French said in a statement. “This is a community of artists and art lovers, and I look forward to continuing my relationship with Danforth Art as an active member of this very special community – and occasionally as a guest curator.”
Under French’s leadership, operations have grown from $1.1 million in 2005 to $1.8 million in 2014, with the organization receiving its largest donation ever - an anonymous gift of $500,000 - in September 2012.
She also inked an agreement in February 2013 to pay the Town of Framingham $1 million and provide $500,000 in community services to purchase the Maynard site, a three-story, 32,336-square-foot building on the Framingham Centre Common.
Revenue from Danforth Art’s classes and museums increased 64 percent between 2005 and 2013, French told the Worcester Business Journal in April 2013, while membership grew at an annual rate of six percent between 2008 and 2013. French also expanded the museum’s permanent collection, focusing in particular on Boston expressionism and the African-American experience.
“Katherine (French) has shaped our holdings in a strategic and important way,” Nina Nielsen, a Danforth trustee, said in a statement. “We’ve created a home for expressive painting that is unique.”
The museum will celebrate French with a fundraising dinner, with proceeds going to the Danforth’s curatorial and educational programs.
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