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October 18, 2022. St. Joseph, MICH — Krasl Art Center (KAC) is pleased to announce a new leadership structure. This announcement commemorates months of discussion, planning, and negotiating among KAC’s Board and leadership to poise KAC for a robust future with staff, volunteers, artists, and southwest Michigan communities. Tami Fauver will now be KAC’s Executive Director and Chief Curator, and Julia Gourley Donohue will transition to the newly established role of Senior Director of Advancement.
Board President Brian Edlefson shared the following on behalf of the KAC’s Board of Directors: “Julia Gourley Donohue’s leadership in the last 11 years has dramatically transformed the organization. She has fostered deep relationships in St. Joseph and Benton Harbor while simultaneously driving the physical and strategic evolution of Krasl Art Center. Tami Fauver (formerly Miller) inspires community discourse with exhibitions that present national and historic themes to southwest Michigan. Accomplishments, appreciation, and accolades rarely satisfy smart and curious professionals. Together, Julia and Tami approached the board with questions about their professional aspirations and their ongoing work.
“The Board of Directors is fortunate to capitalize on these senior staff to position the organization for the future. To amplify their unique talents, we have elevated Tami Fauver to Executive Director and Chief Curator. Additionally, we have created the new role of Senior Director of Advancement, which Julia Gourley Donohue will serve in, to ensure that we continue to benefit from Julia’s leadership. This new structure advances Tami’s vision for generating ideas and programming that reflect the changing needs of our community. Julia’s new role provides the time and resources required to build a stronger, sustainable financial foundation.
“We (the board of directors) acknowledge this is a critical moment in Krasl Art Center’s maturity by celebrating the strengths of Julia and Tami—enabling them to realize KAC’s mission to Inspire Meaningful Change and Strengthen Community through the Visual Arts.”
The two professionals hold over 28 years of collective experience at KAC. Gourley Donohue began as Director of Education in 2005. Fauver started in 2008 as the Director of Exhibitions & Collections. In 2012, Fauver began additionally overseeing the education department following Gourley Donohue’s 2011 promotion to Executive Director. In 2018, Fauver was promoted to Deputy Director & Curator.
Julia Gourley Donohue shared, “It has been my true honor to lead Krasl Art Center these past 12 years. I am grateful to KAC’s Board of Directors for their steadfast support and willingness to consider and embrace this unique leadership transition. I am thrilled to step aside from my role as Executive Director so KAC and our community may benefit from Tami’s creative and thoughtful vision. This new role will allow me to help position the organization for the future, while also giving me mental space following the personal and professional challenges of the past five years.”
Tami Fauver shared, “I look forward to building upon the success and legacy of Krasl Art Center and my wonderful colleague, Julia Gourley Donohue. KAC is a unique and special place. It is my goal to ensure the art center remains vibrant within the community; that it is welcoming and inclusive to diverse artists, creatives, the curious, and learners alike; and to do this with excellence and creativity.”
Together, Fauver & Gourley Donohue have successfully implemented multiple capital campaigns. These include new entry lighting surrounding ‘Beacon Gold Chandelier’ by Dale Chihuly, various gallery and building improvements, and most recently the ‘Sculpting Community’ project, including a monumental sculpture commission by artist Richard Hunt. Both have provided leadership to the organization, participating in the 2010 re-accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, and the 2016 adoption of the organization's new mission statement.
Talk with our Leaders
Krasl Art Center will host a Town Hall with representatives from the Board of Directors, Gourley Donohue, and Fauver on Monday, October 24 at 6 pm in The Gallery at Krasl Art Center located at 707 Lake Blvd. in St. Joseph, Michigan. Community members are invited to engage in the discussion about the arts in our community.
Julia Gourley Donohue Biography
Julia Gourley Donohue relocated to southwest Michigan and joined Krasl Art Center as Director of Education in 2005. In 2011, KAC’s Board of Directors promoted her to be its next Executive Director following a national search. Prior to KAC, Gourley Donohue’s experiences included work both in museums and organizations focused on experiential learning. Gourley Donohue has a deep commitment to making expressive art experiences available to all people, leveraging the benefits of public art and cultural programming to communities at large, and helping people connect with the arts in a way that is personally meaningful. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from Ohio University, and a Master of Science in Education in Art Education from the University of Dayton. She and her son reside in St. Joseph, Michigan.
Tami Fauver Biography
Tami Fauver has served the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minnesota Museum of American Art, and the Cleveland Museum of Art, in both education and curatorial departments. She holds a Master of Arts in Art History & Museum Studies from Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota Duluth. She is also a proud graduate of the Perpich Arts High School – a tuition-free, public, residential high school in Minnesota. Fauver has written and presented extensively on topics in the arts including exhibition reviews, academic analysis of early 20th-century paintings and sculpture, investigations of gender and sexuality in art, case studies in public art and planning, and most recently on diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion in museum practices. She and her spouse reside in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
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