Announcements
What does it mean to run a school collectively? Our Board of Governors and Board of Trustees are an integral part of how we work together as an educational organization, shaping our values, our direction, and our future.
This year, we welcome four new members to the Board of Governors: Lucas Blalock, Steffani Jemison, Liz Magic Laser, and Anna Tsouhlarakis. These artists care deeply about the School and are committed to contributing their time, energy, and vision. Liz and Anna were faculty in 2025, and all four are alums from various years.
We also welcome Amber Lambke and Donald Moffett to our Board of Trustees. Amber is co-founder and CEO of Maine Grains, a driving force behind Maine’s sustainable foods movement. And Donald is an artist, environmental activist, and resident of North Haven, Maine, who was faculty in 2004 and a member of the Board of Governors from 2010–2026.
Several years ago, the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine, approached Skowhegan in the context of a major exhibition celebrating Maine’s role in American art. We immediately thought of our founders, and especially Bill Cummings, whose family farm anchors our campus and whose abiding vision for a school founded by artists, for artists, was inextricably linked to the landscape and freedom found in Maine.
Thanks to guest curator Faye Hirsch, the Farnsworth will show a portrait of Skowhegan’s earliest years with artworks by our founders Cummings, Henry Varnum Poor, and Sydney Simon alongside those by key figures such as Ashley Bryan, David Driskell, Alex Katz and Bill King. Archival images and a spotlight on the South Solon Meeting House frescoes from 1952-1956 anchor this installation within the larger exhibition, MAINE: A Force Within American Art (1890–2026), on view February 7, 2026 – January 3, 2027.
The exhibition will trace how people, places, and ideas intersected with pivotal moments in art from the 20th century into the 21st, revealing the interconnectedness between Maine and the broader trajectory of American art. Select sections include:
- Milestone exhibitions and institutions such as the groundbreaking 1913 Armory Show and the rise of galleries, such as Macbeth Gallery and the Downtown Gallery, dedicated to American art.
- Influential art schools & residency programs including Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Maine Media, Ellis-Beauregard Foundation, and Indigo Arts Alliance.
- Artistic centers from Ogunquit and Monhegan Island to Slab City Road in Lincolnville, which fostered networks of creativity and exchange between Maine and the wider art world.
- Community-driven initiatives like the Tanager Gallery and the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance (MIBA), which highlight artist-run organizations and collective action.
Later this year, we will join the Farnsworth in celebration as Skowhegan is honored with the 2026 Maine in America Award at the museum’s annual Gala on Friday, July 17, in recognition of the School’s profound and lasting contributions to American art.
Learn more at www.farnsworthmuseum.org/exhibition/maine-a-force-within-american-art-1890-2026/
We are honored to have been selected to receive an award through the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative, a grantmaking program established by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation in collaboration with Environment & Culture Partners and RMI to catalyze climate action in the visual arts. The Skowhegan Energy Assessment & Sustainability Planning Project will evaluate campus energy use and identify climate-related vulnerabilities. Our rural campus is an integral part of the artistic and pedagogical experience of the School, and we are committed to environmentally responsible stewardship for generations of artists to come.
Skowhegan was founded by four artists who ran the School in close collaboration with their families and a tight group of artist colleagues. Over the decades, we have carried forward this tradition of collaborative leadership in partnership with our Governors and Trustees. We are thrilled to welcome new members into our cooperative ethos and practice.
Artists Troy Montes Michie and Elle Pérez will join the Board of Governors in fall 2025. Each attended Skowhegan and has stayed closely connected to the School and community—Elle as a Dean for five summers (2016-2019, 2021) and Troy as a visiting artist in 2022. Jung Chai joined the Board of Trustees in January and her passion for education and art is already evident in her stewardship of the school.
This year’s Barbara Lee Lecture Series features: Guadalupe Maravilla, Wednesday, June 11 | Liz Magic Laser, Friday, June 13 | Dineo Seshee Bopape, Friday, June 20 | Anna Tsouhlarakis, Friday, June 27 | Miguel Gutierrez, Monday, June 30 | Sandra Gamarra, Thursday, July 3 | Mike Cloud, Friday, July 11 | Catherine Liu (Paul Mellon Distinguished Fellow), Thursday, July 17 | Trajal Harrell, Friday, July 25 | Shimabuku, Friday, August 1
Resident and Visiting Artist Lectures begin at 7:30 PM. The Paul Mellon Distinguished Fellow Lecture begins at 8:00 PM.
All lectures take place at the Old Dominion Fresco Barn on Skowhegan’s Campus in Maine. They are all free and open to the public.
In January, we welcomed Marie Lorenz and Daniel Bozhkov as Co-Chairs of Skowhegan’s Board of Governors. Their leadership is shaping new initiatives, including the Governors’ Gathering in the Rockaways, which provided dedicated time to connect and engage in conversations about Skowhegan’s future, mission, and community. Daniel explained, “I admire Skowhegan’s vision of experimental art making and non-commercially bound relationships among artists. It is more vital than ever in our times of great need.” Marie added, “I’m excited to work with Daniel and Skowhegan‘s Co-Directors Ruth Estévez and Katie Sonnenborn—the Skowhegan Governors are an incredible group of artists, and it’s a true privilege to collaborate with everyone.”
Following an international search, the Boards of Governors and Trustees at Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture are pleased to announce the appointment of Ruth Estévez as its new Co-Director.
Estévez comes to Skowhegan after serving as Artistic Director at Amant in Brooklyn, where she oversaw exhibitions, programs and artist residencies. Throughout her career, Estévez has worked with artists to develop her internationally engaged practice based on research, interdisciplinary initiatives, and exploration. In her new role, she will direct Skowhegan’s renowned residency in Maine, engaging all aspects of the School’s program, operations and community building for the participants and faculty artists, as well as programs with alumni and partners throughout the year. Prior to her time at Amant, she served as Senior Curator-at-large at the Rose Art Museum in Waltham (2018-2020), and Director and Curator of the Gallery at REDCAT, Los Angeles (2012-2018), among other roles at museums, art residencies, universities and non-profit organizations. Beginning March 11th, she will assume her position at Skowhegan, working alongside Katie Sonnenborn, who has been Co-Director since 2012.
Marlene McCarty, Co-Chair, Board of Governors and Chair of the Search Committee said, “It is a joy to welcome Ruth Estévez into the Skowhegan community as our new Co-Director. Ruth brings a great breadth of experience and skills, and the Governors look forward to working with her to guide the School into the future.”
Since the beginning of her career, Estévez has organized exhibitions, public programs, and symposiums, including the 34th São Paolo Biennial (2021) and Idiorrhythmic (2018-2021), the annual performance program at MACBA in Barcelona. Before moving to the US, she served as the Chief Curator at the Carrillo Gil Museum in Mexico City (2006-2012), where she also founded LIGA, Space for Architecture, a non-profit platform that encourages experimentation in architecture and spatial art from Latin America.
Eleanor Acquavella, Chair, Board of Trustees said, “All of us on the search committee were immediately impressed by Ruth’s accomplishments as a curator and educator in the US, Mexico and beyond, and her deep relationships with artists working around the world. We are thrilled to have her join as Co-Director.”
Estévez is interested in pushing the boundaries of timing and materiality as well as the methodologies of production and presentation. As part of The Getty’s Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA initiative, she organized the research project The Words of Others, Leon Ferrari and Rhetorics in Times of War, which explored how collective memory is rehearsed and performed. The exhibition traveled to PAMM in Miami, and then in a performative shape to MNCARS in Madrid and Jumex Museum (2018).
“I am delighted to join one of the oldest and most prestigious artist-founded institutions in the United States. I have dedicated my career to creating platforms of inclusion and experimentation within the arts, and there is no better place than Skowhegan for me to continue and expand my interest in learning and exchanging ideas collectively.”
Estévez has taught at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, and Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore. She holds a master’s degree in Art History from Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, UNAM, and is currently completing a PhD in Art, Education, and Research at UCLM, Cuenca, focusing on the aesthetic, social, and political shifts of collective creation in performance. Estévez was born in Bilbao, Spain.
Steve Locke joins the Board of Governors. Locke participated in the program in 2002, served as a program Dean from 2004 through 2009, and assumed the role of Resident Faculty Artist in 2023.
The Board of Governors oversees the artistic program, including participant and faculty selection. They collaborate with the Board of Trustees to ensure the organization fulfills its mission and remains a powerful voice in the art community. Locke stated, “Skowhegan has been such a major part of my life as an artist and educator. I’m really happy to have this opportunity to serve and give back to a place that has given so much to me.”
Speaking on behalf of the Board of Governors, Co-Chair Alix Pearlstein stated, “We send a hearty welcome to Steve Locke! His dedication to Skowhegan, and his love for the community shined through in his experience as a participant, Dean and Resident Faculty Artist. He is such an accomplished artist and we are honored to work with him in this newest capacity!”
The Board of Trustees and Governors of Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture announced today that long-time Co-Director Sarah Workneh will step down in December 2023 after 14 impactful years in her leadership role. Katie Sonnenborn, Co-Director, will continue in her role and the Boards will form a search committee to hire Workneh’s successor.
Workneh has co-led Skowhegan during an important era of growth and evolution for the organization beginning with the first strategic plan and including its 75th Anniversary in 2021, a comprehensive campus redevelopment, the opening of its New York office, the most successful capital campaign in its history, revamping the school’s admissions process, developing alumni programming, and leading the program through the pandemic. Workneh built on the school’s history of inclusion and has greatly expanded the diversity of the participants, faculty, and staff, and worked to holistically shift the operations and physical facilities of the site to create greater equity and inclusion in support of greater experimentation.
In her 14-year tenure, she has worked with over 800 participant artists and 120 faculty artists. Speaking on behalf of the Board of Governors, Dave McKenzie (A ‘00, F ‘11, ‘17) reflects: “The relationships Sarah has formed with participants over the past fourteen years are generously conspiratorial— less administrative, more involved, deeper, meaningful, intimate, and rare. Founded by artists, for artists, is the motto, but to it Sarah has appended sustained advocacy, often invisible, for the artists and their practice.”
Artists and Major Art World Funders Contribute Over $21 Million to Expand Skowhegan’s Capacity to Support Emerging Visual Artists. Campaign Advances Equity Across Every Aspect of the Institution including a Holistic Campus Plan and Expanded Endowment.
Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture exceeds milestones for its 75th Anniversary Campaign with over $21m raised and pledged. Co-chaired by Eleanor Acquavella, Donald Moffett, and Paula Volent the campaign has been the school’s most significant fundraising initiative to date and expands Skowhegan’s capacity to support emerging visual artists from every background.
Skowhegan has a founding history of inclusivity, welcoming artists of color, international artists, artists of different sexual orientations and gender at a time when it was not only less common, but oftentimes against societal norms and laws. Furthermore, Skowhegan has always provided scholarships for any accepted artist, and participants are considered on the basis of their work, rather than their educational or professional experiences. Skowhegan’s Board of Governors have always been reflective of a broad community of artists. These characteristics contribute to Skowhegan’s reputation as an organization that has helped create a more inclusive art world.
Even with this history, Skowhegan recognizes the urgent need to constantly push for change and equity. The 75th Anniversary initiatives advance core institutional values by upgrading the campus facilities to better house participants and staff, and engage emerging art practices; growing the endowment to preserve need-blind admissions and artistic autonomy; and prioritizing local investments that bolster regional food economies and environmental priorities.
Skowhegan’s Campus Master Plan (2019–2024) was led by Neil Kittredge, Partner, Director of Planning & Urban Design at Beyer Blinder Belle, and the process was iterative and community-driven, involving extensive input and discussion from alumni, faculty, staff, Governors and Trustees. The resulting renovation projects and new constructions—many of which were designed by architect Alan Wanzenberg—are designed to allow for the potential evolution and expansion of practices over time, and also ensure the health and safety of Skowhegan participants. They retain the scale and intimacy of the program as it exists today, and celebrate the historic farm character of the original campus. Many were built during COVID, advancing programmatic priorities and providing steady local employment while the residency was necessarily paused.
Acquavella Sculpture Shop. Designed by Kittredge, the expanded Sculpture Shop was made possible by the Acquavella Family Foundation and provides uncluttered space to work in wood and metal, and also houses a spray booth, tool and wood storage, a small shop office, and a first aid area. A covered slab behind the building was also surfaced in metal for welding.
David C. Driskell House honors artist, curator, and educator David Driskell who was a student (1953), faculty member (1976, ’78, ’91, ’04), Governor (1975-1989), Trustee (1989-2002), Advisory member (2003-2020) and Skowhegan Lifetime Legacy Award recipient (2016) and one of the most enduring members of the Skowhegan community in its history. Designed by Wanzenberg, with funding from Jud and BB Reis and the Sire Foundation, among others, this building houses up to eleven participants, and its addition on campus has the effect of decongesting all the residences, and ensuring that every participant has more privacy and an improved environment for rest.
Helen Frankenthaler Studio was designed by Kittredge. Frankenthaler was a visiting artist in 1986 and the studio, made possible by her eponymous foundation, is the first new building constructed on Skowhegan’s campus since 2011 and provides studio space for three participants.
Frank Moore Studio and Pollinator Garden were completed in 2020 and 2022, respectively, and were realized through collaboration by Frank’s family and friends in an effort spearheaded by Governor Jane Hammond and Frank’s sister Rebecca Moore, Director of Google Earth. The four-studio, timber-frame building was designed by Kittredge. It overlooks a Pollinator Garden, conceived by Hammond and Moore, that honors Moore’s love of nature, his abiding interest in insects and butterflies, and his prescient environmental activism. The Pollinator Garden, itself, links to a larger campus-wide effort to draw attention to the school’s natural environment.
Gund Dining Hall was designed by Wanzenberg and made possible through leadership support from Ann and Graham Gund. The dining hall is distinguished by reclaimed wood floors, windows overlooking the lake, an open kitchen and improved food storage for what is largely locally-sourced produce and meat. A new industrial composter will further evolve the relationship to the food the participants eat, how it is prepared, and how it is disposed of to minimize waste.
Moffett/Gober Sculpture Pavilion was designed by Kittredge and underwritten by artists Donald Moffett and Robert Gober. Four existing sculpture yard studios were converted into a covered pavilion for artists to work at large-scale, outside, and during fair or inclement weather.
Pollock-Krasner Ceramics Studio was designed by Kittredge and funded by the Pollock-Krasner Foundation. Two existing sculpture yard studios were converted into the first dedicated space for ceramics with wheels, a slab roller, a sink with proper filtration and water recycling system, storage, and work tables.
The Kippy Stroud Cottage is an ADA-accessible staff cottage designed by Wanzenberg as part of a staff enclave that consists of five studio apartments as well as a common kitchen and shared living space. The residence is supported through a grant from the Marion Boulton “Kippy” Stroud Foundation that honors Kippy’s deep devotion to Maine, her unwavering support of younger artists and the development of their work, as well as her stalwart belief in education, the power of community and bringing creative people together. Next door is a staff cottage dubbed the Twin As, named in honor of Ann Gund by Agnes Gund. The flexible staff cottage layout suits a variety of living configurations and provides appropriate privacy and living space for program staff, all of whom are Skowhegan alumni.
Two campus additions are anticipated for 2023: The Flex Space designed by OPAL Architecture of Belfast, ME, proprietors of GO Lab and Timber HP, an innovative ecologically sustainable technology manufacturer in Madison, ME. The Flex Space is designed using Carbon Laminated Timber (CLT), a carbon neutral material. A second environmentally-driven project, a series of Natural Amphitheater Spaces, is designed by Hood Design Studio of Oakland, CA. Both the Flex Space and the Amphitheater spaces are designed to supplement existing object-based studio facilities, allowing for innovations in performance, dance, movement, and new genres.
Leadership Support Sustains Skowhegan’s Artistic Independence
In addition to those listed above, a selection of notable unrestricted and endowment gifts bolstered Skowhegan’s investments so that it will stay independent and retain its artistic autonomy, enabling the school to respond to artists and their needs, not market or educational trends.
A prodigious grant, earmarked for the endowment, came in the form of a $2.5 million grant from The Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, Inc. Initiated by Marina Kellen French and Andrew Gundlach in honor of their parents and grandparents, this grant—and matching funds—are conceived as a “Future Fund” to benefit Skowhegan’s program for generations to come. This follows the Foundation’s namesakes’ commitment to supporting emerging and visionary visual artists and speaks to Gundlach’s conviction in the catalytic power of long-term investments.
Major gifts came from board members including Greg and Susie Palm and the Palm Foundation, Paula J. Volent, the Estate of Mildred C. Brinn, Jan Aronson, and The Looker Foundation, among many, and gifts were made in honor of longtime board Chair Ann Gund from Agnes Gund and Elizabeth B. Johnson, among others. Artists also participated—a testament to the enduring, positive influence the program has on its creative communities. Significant support was given by or in honor of alumni and faculty, including the H. King & Jean Cummings Charitable Fund, The Deborah Buck Foundation, “The David Fund” spearheaded by Darren Walker and honoring David Beitzel, Glenn Ligon, Marlene McCarty, Donald Moffett and Robert Gober, Christina Quarles, Katherine Bradford, Carrie Moyer, Jane Hammond, Paul Pfeiffer, and anonymous artists, among many.
Most recently, two transformative grants were made to support Skowhegan’s innovative work promoting equity and justice on campus and in Maine as a critical component in supporting creative practice. $750,000 was awarded by Mellon Foundation for capacity building to provide holistic support for artists participating in the summer program, and pivotal unrestricted grants from The Ruth Foundation.
The Skowhegan Book
Skowhegan will publish its first-ever history, co-authored by art historian and editor Faye Hirsch and writer and curator Ingrid Schaffner. The book draws from primary source material including Skowhegan’s physical and lecture archives in New York City and Maine, new in-depth interviews and roundtable discussions with faculty, alumni, and leadership, photographs, film, and ephemera, as well as materials from the Smithsonian Archives of American Art and other sources.
Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture marks its 75th Anniversary with a public Block Party and series of events and special projects.
On Saturday, October 9, 2021, a Block Party will be held in front of Skowhegan’s NYC on West 22nd Street between 6th and 7th Avenues from 12:00–5:00 PM. The event is organized by the Alumni Alliance—a diverse group of recent alumni who spearhead Skowhegan’s off-campus alumni programming—and the Skowhegan Council, a group of supporters and alumni dedicated to advancing Skowhegan’s mission and program. The Block Party, performances, and activations will be free of charge, and food and drinks will be available on a donation basis.
The outdoor festival will celebrate Skowhegan’s expansive artistic community and will feature work from over 40 participating alumni artists. Outfitted with picnic tables and benches, a main stage will offer live performances including a drag show by Anthropussy (Eli Hill) and a rotation of live DJ sets by Ashley Teamer, with more to be announced. Visitors can view and participate in various site-specific installations that include a fully interactive badminton set handmade by kg; an artist interview project over tea by Michele Brody; a durational performance filmed in Bangladesh by Kabir Ahmed Masum Chisty; plastic bag portraits by Nobutaka Aozaki; a modular installation by Maya Hayuk; and a haircut performance by Finn Schult and Tommy Coleman with Nancy Regan the Roomba.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to take photos in front of several commissioned large-scale backdrops featuring artwork by Helen Glazer, Simonetta Moro, Lily Prince, Vabianna Santos, Tricia Townes, and Xander Wrencher. Displayed along the block will be an installation featuring digitally printed flags by artists Brian Alfred, Jonathan Ehrenberg, Rachel Frank, Michelle Hauser, Sarah Hotchkiss, Gary Jameson, Jim Leach, Juliet Karelsen, Liu Kincheloe, Anna Kunz, Jennifer McCandless, Perry Meigs, Paolo Morales, Birgit Rathsmann, Edra Soto, Christopher Sproat, and Fabian Tabibian along with handmade flags by Karlos Carcamo, Gabriela Salazar, and Jessica Segall.
Two limited-run items will be available only at the Block Party: a Costume Party Zine with illustrations by Michele Brody, Lauren Cohen, Jonathan Ehrenberg, Linda Ford, Baris Gokturk, Sarah Haviland, Wayne Hodge, Jack Hogan, Tim Hutchings, Frank Hyder, Megan Marlatt, Tracy Miller, Alicia Paz, Kuldeep Singh, Furong Zhang; and an enamel pin by Laylah Ali.
Learn more and access Block Party ticket packages. Packages begin at $75, and include one ticket to the after-party at The Fleur Room featuring DJ April Hunt from 5:00pm–7:00pm. Proceeds from the event support Skowhegan’s program and mission.
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