FRONT Exhibition Company Announces Appointment of Arlene Watson
FRONT Exhibition Company Announces Appointment of Arlene Watson as Director of Public Programs and Engagement
Watson to oversee education and public programs for triennial opening July 14, 2018
CLEVELAND, Ohio (August 15, 2017) – FRONT Exhibition Company is pleased to announce Arlene Watson has been named Director of Public Programs and Engagement. Watson assumed the role on August 7 and is responsible for the realization of education and public programs, and for community engagement opportunities for the inaugural edition of FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art, which will launch July 14, 2018, and run through September 30, 2018. Coordinating with all of the Triennial’s Presenting Partners, including the Allen Memorial Art Museum, Akron Art Museum, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, MOCA Cleveland, SPACES and Transformer Station, Watson will organize a year’s worth of public access to FRONT programming, beginning with FRONT Artist Residency activities at the Glenville Arts Campus in September 2017.
“We are committed to developing an active schedule of activities that fosters multiple levels of engagement with the art and artists of FRONT across different audience types,” said Fred Bidwell, Executive Director. “With programs running the gamut from educational and scholarly offerings to interactive demonstrations and artist talks, families, students, collectors, scholars and artists will have an extraordinary opportunity to participate in one of North America’s most ambitious contemporary art events.”
Opening in summer 2018, the Triennial’s first edition, titled An American City: Eleven Cultural Exercises, will feature more than 60 international, national and local artists in over 20 major exhibitions and installations spread across Northeast Ohio. Speaking about her new role, Watson said, “I believe art is an essential connector of people and places. I am excited that I can use my passion for community engagement to help this transformational project bring so many audiences together through contemporary art. It will be a privilege to work alongside the talented education and engagement staff at each of our presenting partners, as well as community stakeholders, to reach our national and international visitors and the communities in Northeast Ohio. I am particularly excited about the potential of our Madison Artist Residency Campus, in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood, where together we can make a lasting impact and be a part of the revitalization of that important community.”
Prior to her new position at FRONT, Watson was director of development at MOCA Cleveland. Previous positions include creative director at Vocon, a full-service, Cleveland-based architectural and design firm, and principal and creative director at Mobius Grey LLC, Cleveland. In 2011, Watson was awarded a Marshall Memorial Fellowship by the German Marshall Fund. Watson received a BFA in graphic design from the Pratt Institute in New York City.
Click to download a PDF of the FRONT Arlene Watson PressRelease