Artadia, the national organization dedicated to supporting contemporary artists through unrestricted grants, is pleased to announce the appointment of Allison Derusha as its new Executive Director. Derusha will lead the organization at an important moment of growth, working closely with Artadia’s Board, staff, artists, and supporters to strengthen its programs, expand its reach, and build on nearly three decades of championing artists across the United States.
“I am honored to join Artadia and to lead an organization whose commitment to artists is both deeply rooted and urgently relevant,” said Allison Derusha. “Artadia’s model recognizes that artists need meaningful, unrestricted support and trusted relationships at critical moments in their careers. Artists are not peripheral to the cultural ecosystem—they are its source, its provocateurs, and often its most incisive witnesses. Artadia has always understood that. The opportunity now is to expand Artadia’s network and financial commitment to artists so that they have the resources, relationships, and freedom to pursue their practices. I am inspired by the extraordinary community of artists, supporters, and partners that Artadia has built, and I look forward to working with the Board and staff to strengthen that community and expand Artadia’s impact.”
Derusha is an arts leader, strategist, and philanthropy expert with more than 25 years of experience advancing artists and strengthening the cultural organizations and communities that support them. Throughout her career, she has worked at the intersection of artists, cultural institutions, philanthropy, and organizational strategy. She has raised more than $150 million for national and international arts organizations and artists, partnering with leading philanthropists, foundations, corporations, and cultural and civic stakeholders to advance artistic practice and institutional sustainability. Her expertise spans strategic planning, institutional governance, organizational and capacity building, major and capital campaigns, communications and marketing, partnerships, and philanthropic strategy.
“Since our founding nearly 30 years ago, Artadia has been built around a simple idea: support artists directly in the communities where they live and work, and connect those communities to one another,” said Christopher E. Vroom, Founder of Artadia. “What began as a commitment to artists has grown into a national network while remaining true to that purpose. Allison brings the vision, experience, and deep relationships across the arts and philanthropic communities to build on that foundation and expand what Artadia can do for artists. Her record of building strong organizations, engaging boards and supporters, and creating meaningful opportunities for artists made her an outstanding choice to lead the organization into its next chapter. We are thrilled to welcome her.”
Derusha has held senior leadership positions at leading cultural organizations including the National Academy of Design, American Ballet Theatre, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Museum of the City of New York. Across these roles, she has consistently combined ambitious fundraising with organizational strategy, board engagement, staff development, and artist-centered programming. As Director of Advancement at SculptureCenter, she helped lead the organization through a significant period of institutional transition and growth during two executive leadership searches, overseeing fundraising, board development, strategic planning, marketing, and external affairs while expanding support for artists and exhibitions.
Nick Cave, a 2006 Artadia Awardee and Board Member, said, “Having experienced Artadia both as an Awardee and as a Board member, I know how important it is to have a leader who understands the organization’s mission from multiple perspectives. I’m thrilled to welcome Allison to Artadia. She has strong relationships and a depth of experience working with artists, and I am confident her vision and leadership will ensure that artists receive the support they need, not someday, but now.”
Prior to joining Artadia, Derusha led A/D Consulting, an independent arts and philanthropy practice through which she provided strategic counsel to leading cultural organizations, artists, and philanthropists. Her clients have included Baryshnikov Arts, Centre Pompidou, Performa, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and SCAD Museum of Art, among others.
Her work has also included developing artist-centered initiatives that extend contemporary art beyond traditional institutional settings. For HELP USA, a national nonprofit dedicated to providing trauma services and ending homelessness, she developed a commissioning program pairing leading contemporary artists with public shelters, trauma centers, and supportive housing to support art therapy and trauma services.
On Wednesday, September 23, Artadia’s New York Luncheon, an annual New York City fundraiser celebrating Artadia’s support of contemporary artists nationwide, will be held at the National Arts Club. This ticketed event will benefit the Artadia Awards program, with all proceeds supporting unrestricted grants to artists.
Co-chaired by Artadia Board Co-Chair Laura Roberson Fisch and Artadia Board Vice-Chair Margot Ziegler, the luncheon will bring together seven Artadia Awardee Hosts, representing each of Artadia’s program cities, for an afternoon celebrating the artists and community at the heart of the organization. The Awardee Hosts include Diedrick Brackens (2019 Los Angeles), Nile Harris (2025 New York City), Gyun Hur (2011 Atlanta), Nyeema Morgan (2023 Chicago), Alison Croney Moses (2023 Boston), Stephanie Syjuco (1999 San Francisco Bay Area), and Charisse Pearlina Weston (2015 Houston).
The New York Luncheon will also officially welcome Derusha to the Artadia community, marking a new chapter for the organization as it continues to meet a pivotal moment in arts philanthropy and strengthen the creative ecosystem through meaningful, sustained support for artists.
Image courtesy of Artadia
