Jamestown, RI January 10, 2020 – The Jamestown Arts Center (JAC) is excited to announce the appointment of Maureen Coleman as its new Executive Director. Coleman brings to the JAC over 25 years of non-profit leadership and development experience. She will be the JAC’s second executive director when she starts her new role on February 3, 2020. Coleman joins the JAC as it celebrates its tenth anniversary this year.
Coleman’s non-profit work includes leadership and advancement roles at the Norman Bird Sanctuary, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Save The Bay, IYRS, and URI. She also served as VP of Operations at the Buzzards Bay Coalition. In each role, she has focused on engaging community support and inspiring high performing teams to accomplish organizational goals.
Coleman has served as the Director of Development for the Norman Bird Sanctuary for the last five years. As part of the senior leadership team, she focused on long-term financial planning, institutional development, marketing, office administration, and special projects. Under Coleman’s guidance, the Sanctuary significantly increased individual giving and raised $2.6 million for the long-term care of the property. In addition to her development work, Coleman supervised management of the Welcome Center and Gift Shop.
“The Board of Directors is so pleased to welcome Maureen as our new Executive Director,” said Board Chair Dianne Grippi. “Our tenth anniversary and Outdoor Arts Experience celebration makes this an important time for the strong leadership and vision Maureen brings. And as a Jamestowner, she is already well established within our community and throughout the state. She will quickly build on the strong foundation of the JAC.”
“This is an especially exciting time to join the Jamestown Arts Center,” said Coleman. “We celebrate our tenth anniversary with the launch of the entirely new Outdoor Arts Experience exhibit this summer, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to work with an incredibly talented board and staff to deliver truly extraordinary arts programming. Art is for everyone and I am thrilled to be a part of a team that has such a powerful impact on our community’s quality of life.”
Maureen Coleman Biography
Maureen Coleman grew up in Groton, Massachusetts. She lived in Boston before moving to Jamestown, RI in 2001. She earned her B.A. in English from Union College in Schenectady, NY. She also earned a Graduate Certificate in Executive Leadership from Cornell University.
Coleman has been a participant in both classes and events at the JAC, declaring it one of her favorite places in Jamestown – she has seen firsthand the significant impact the JAC has had on the community. An active participant in the local community, Coleman served for nine years on the Jamestown Conservation Commission, including five years as the chairwoman. Projects included restoration of Mackerel Cove dunes and Round Marsh at Great Creek. She has also served on the board of the Rhode Island Association of Fundraising Professionals. Coleman resides in the north end with her husband, Tom Harris.
Jamestown Arts Center
The Jamestown Arts Center is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary facility located at 18 Valley Street in Jamestown, RI. Our mission is to engage, enrich, and inspire our community through extraordinary arts and educational experiences.
The JAC was conceived in 2007 by a group of Jamestowners passionate about the arts who collectively envisioned a dynamic arts center in the heart of town. This committed group became the organization’s founding board members and began working in earnest to make their vision a reality. In February of 2008 the JAC board launched a Capital Campaign to purchase and renovate a former 5,000 square foot boat repair shop into a beautiful arts center designed by Estes/Twombly Architects. The property was purchased on December 21, 2009, with contributions and support from many generous individuals and foundations and soon after opened its doors as a multi-disciplinary visual and performing arts space. The JAC now hosts art exhibits, theatre and dance performances, film nights, OutLoud events and concerts, and provides art and design educational programs for people of all ages. Programming partners include: Heifetz International Music Institute, FirstWorks, RISCA, FabNewport, 10 Thousand Small Businesses, RISD, Manhattan Short Film Festival, SENE Film Festival, Providence Art and Design Film Festival, Island Moving Company, The Jamestown Schools, Social Enterprise Greenhouse, The Brown/Trinity Rep M.F.A. in Acting & Directing Program and many individual artists and local organizations. The JAC was awarded Best Gallery in Newport County by the Best of Rhode Island 2017 & 2018 readers’ polls. The Jamestown Arts Center has quickly become a leading arts and cultural hub, for Rhode Island and beyond, where creativity, ideas and innovation flourish.
The Jamestown Arts Center is a multi-disciplinary visual and performing arts space that hosts art exhibits, theatre and dance performances, film screenings, JAC talks and concerts, and provides art and design educational programs for people of all ages. Housed in a former boat repair shop, the JAC was awarded Best Gallery in Newport County by the Best of Rhode Island 2017 & 2018 readers’ polls. Programming partners include: Heifetz International Music Institute, FirstWorks, RISCA, FabNewport, 10 Thousand Small Businesses, RISD, Manhattan Short Film Festival, SENE Film Festival, Providence Art and Design Film Festival, Island Moving Company, The Jamestown Schools, Social Enterprise Greenhouse, The Brown/Trinity Rep M.F.A. in Acting & Directing Program and many individual artists and local organizations. The Jamestown Arts Center has quickly become a leading arts and cultural hub, for Rhode Island and beyond, where creativity, ideas and innovation flourish.
The mission of the Jamestown Arts Center is to engage, enrich and inspire our community through extraordinary arts and educational experiences.
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