FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information:
Mollie LaFavers
mlafavers@fundforthearts.org
502-882-8697
FUND FOR THE ARTS WELCOMES NEW LEADERSHIP
New Director of Community Impact, Campaign Director, and Director of Strategic Initiatives join the Fund for the Arts Team
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (October 19, 2021) – The Fund for the Arts (FFTA) announced today three new additions to their leadership team. Sarah Lindgren is the new Director of Community Impact, Lucy Love has been named Campaign Director, and Kate Gipson joins FFTA as the Director of Strategic Initiatives. Lindgren, Love, and Gipson each bring impressive and extensive expertise to their respective roles. Together with the rest of the Fund for the Arts team, they will each play a crucial role in actualizing FFTA’s vision by ensuring that every person in Greater Louisville can experience the transformative power of the arts.
Lindgren has over fifteen years of experience in the arts and culture sector. Most recently, Lindgren served as the Public Art Administrator for Louisville Metro Government where she directed Arts and Culture programs within the city government, administered External Agency Fund grants, facilitated community meetings, and lead impactful change in Louisville’s arts and culture sector. Previously, Lindgren worked as the Director of Gifts and Membership for the Speed Art Museum and Assistant Registrar at The Saint Louis Art Museum. She holds a Master of Arts degree from Washington University in St. Louis
As the Director of Community Impact, Lindgren will be responsible for the grantmaking function of the Fund for the Arts as well as measuring the impact on both grant recipients and the Greater Louisville community. In this role, Lindgren will lead the way in developing the strategies and tactics for the organization’s grantmaking investments.
“I am excited to join the team at Fund for the Arts as Director of Community Impact. This opportunity allows me to continue working with the community, artists, and arts organizations. Impact is about change, and I can’t wait to see what we can do together,” said Lindgren.
Love is a certified nonprofit management and leadership professional with ten years of experience and a passion for identifying new fundraising opportunities. Most recently, Love served as the Director of Mission Advancement for Jewish Family & Career Services (JFCS) where she led all fundraising, development, volunteer, communications, and marketing efforts for the organization. Previously, Love has worked as the Director of Development for Murray State University and the Information Services Coordinator for Cameron University. She holds a Master of Science degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management.
As the Campaign Director Love will be responsible for the successful execution of the Fund for the Arts’ Annual Campaign, which raised over $8 million in 2021. Love will lead the FFTA Campaign Team, and she will work closely with FFTA President & CEO Andre Kimo Stone Guess, and the Board of Directors to meet the goals of the Annual Campaign.
“I am delighted to join the team at the Fund for the Arts as the next Campaign Director,” said Love. “On the heels of a successful campaign year, I am excited to continue inspiring greater investment in the creativity and diversity of the arts and culture sector in Louisville. The Fund provides access to arts and cultural experiences and amplifies voices of artists in a way that serves our community, who wouldn’t want to be a part of making that happen?”
A theatre-maker and non-profit administrator for 20 years, Gipson has served as Manager of Youth Services at Goodwill Industries of Denver, Associate Artistic Director at Curious Theatre Company in Denver, CO, and Education Director at New Stage Theatre in Jackson, MS. Most recently she was the General Manager at StageOne Family Theatre in Louisville. Some highlights of her career include producing the 2018 Colorado Creative Careers Festival for high school students across the state, After Orlando, and The Women’s Voices Festival at Benchmark Theatre Company. Gipson received a degree in theatre from Washington University. She currently serves on the Board of Directors at Elevator Artist Resources in Louisville.
As the Director of Strategic Initiatives, Gipson will assist in the development and implementation of strategic initiatives surrounding the vision of the organization. These initiatives include facilitating collaborative programmatic opportunities among individual artists and organizations throughout the ecosystem and working alongside all internal departments to facilitate the implementation of those opportunities. In this role, Gipson will also be responsible for developing earned income opportunities for the organization. This is a newly created position for FFTA.
Gipson said, “Louisville is a city of artists. Our artistic and cultural community is among the most welcoming and most collaborative that I’ve experienced and the Fund for the Arts is the cohesive glue that serves as that foundation. What an honor it is to be working with this incredible team, building more and more foundation to support the people, the artists, of Louisville!”
“We are thrilled to have Sarah, Lucy, and Kate on our team at Fund for the Arts,” said Andre Kimo Stone Guess, President & CEO. “They each bring immense knowledge and experience to the table and we are excited to see how they work with the rest of our all-star staff to enhance the impact of the arts on the Greater Louisville community.”
Lindgren and Love joined the Fund for the Arts staff in late September and early October, respectively. Gipson will officially start at Fund for the Arts in early November.
About Fund for the Arts
Fund for the Arts is a regional nonprofit with the mission to maximize the impact of the arts on economic development, education, and quality of life in our community. The Fund is a convener, promoter, leader, and driver of Imagine Greater Louisville 2025, the region’s arts and cultural plan. It facilitates the largest arts grant program in Kentucky as well as conducts one of the oldest united arts campaigns in the country. For more information, visit www.fundforthearts.org.
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