Dear Lawndale Family, We are thrilled to announce Anna Walker as our new Executive Director, effective Monday, November 1, 2021. Anna was selected from a competitive field of diverse candidates both local and national after a nine-month search led by Lawndale’s Executive and Search Committees. Anna has dedicated her professional life to art and artists and is widely admired locally and nationally both as a curator and thought leader. She comes to Lawndale from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), where she serves as Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design and the Windgate Foundation Curatorial Fellow for Contemporary Craft. Prior to joining the MFAH, Anna was the Curator at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC), a kunsthalle-style space where she oversaw up to 12 exhibitions a year. She holds a BA in Art from Otterbein University with a focus on ceramics and printmaking and an MA in Arts Administration from Indiana University. We believe that Anna’s passion for and commitment to artists, alongside her decade-long engagement with the Houston community, makes her the right leader to shepherd Lawndale into its next vibrant chapter. Lawndale’s Board would also like to acknowledge the contribution of our newly promoted Assistant Director, Emily Fens, whose care, talent, and dedication to Lawndale’s artists, members, and volunteers – alongside the day-to-day – has ensured that Lawndale thrives during an unforeseeably challenging 18 months. We are grateful to both Emily and Lawndale’s departing Executive Director, Stephanie Mitchell, for working together with Anna to ensure a smooth transition for the organization over the coming months. As Anna enthusiastically awaits her new leadership role, she asked me to share the following statement with you: "Lawndale is a critical connector and incubator for the arts in Houston, and I am thrilled to be joining its team. I’ve long been impressed with Lawndale’s risk taking, which I’m looking forward to continuing. I am especially excited to be returning to an artist-centered practice in the city I love, where I can work as a collaborator, connecting artists and Houston communities more broadly. It’s a very special thing to join an organization with a strong board and a solid team in place, and I look forward to the things we are going to build together." We hope you will take the opportunity to welcome Anna in person as we all celebrate the opening of Lawndale’s fall exhibition on Friday, September 17th from 6-8 PM. In the meantime, we are grateful for your continued support of Lawndale. Meghan Miller Board Chair, Lawndale

Image by Selina Lamberti and Marjiana Rayl, courtesy of Walker.

Mission Lawndale is a multidisciplinary contemporary art center that engages Houston communities with exhibitions and programs that explore the aesthetic, critical, and social issues of our time. About Lawndale believes in the role of art and artists to inspire and inform the world around us. By serving as an intimate gathering place to experience art and ideas, Lawndale seeks to foster connections between communities in Houston and beyond. Lawndale presents a diverse range of artistic practices and perspectives through exhibitions and programs, including lectures, symposia, film screenings, readings, and musical performances. Through exhibition opportunities, the Artist Studio Program, institutional collaborations, and the engagement of an advisory board comprised of artists, curators, and scholars, Lawndale seeks within its mission to support all artistic and cultural communities of Houston. Supporters Lawndale’s exhibitions and programs are produced with generous support from The Anchorage Foundation of Texas; The Brown Foundation, Inc.; David R. Graham; The Joan Hohlt and Roger Wich Foundation; The John M. O’Quinn Foundation; The John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation; Houston Endowment; Kathrine G. McGovern/The John P. McGovern Foundation; The National Endowment for the Arts; The Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation; the Texas Commission on the Arts; The City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance; and The Wortham Foundation, Inc. Additional support provided by Lindsey Schechter/Houston Dairymaids, Saint Arnold Brewing Company, and Topo Chico. Information Admission to all exhibitions and programs at Lawndale is free. Lawndale's galleries are available by appointment. Gallery Appointment Hours: Wednesday - Saturday: 11 AM - 5 PM. Closed Sunday - Tuesday and national holidays. Lawndale, 4912 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002. Visit lawndaleartcenter.org or call 713.528.5858 for more information.