Christina Mossaides Strassfield Named Executive Director of Southampton Arts Center
The board of directors of Southampton Arts Center [SAC – southamptonartscenter.org] is pleased to announce they have appointed a new executive director – Christina Mossaides Strassfield. After 29 years at Guild Hall, having served as museum director and chief curator for the past 20 years, Strassfield will now assume her position at SAC, leading and advancing the organization’s mission of community building through the arts.
“We are thrilled to have Christina step into the leadership position at Southampton Arts Center,” shares Simone Levinson, Southampton Arts Center founding co-chair. “Christina is well-known for the close relationships she has forged with the artists who have shaped the New York and East End art world. Her extensive experience and passion for the arts, as well as her strong commitment to the East End, position her perfectly to drive Southampton Arts Center’s next phase of growth.”
As SAC’s executive director, Strassfield will lead all aspects of the organization including artistic vision and programming, leading development and fundraising initiatives, and cultivating and maintaining the many partnerships and relationships with key stakeholders, among other management functions. This new position will not be Stassfield’s first at SAC. In the summer of 2022, she curated the FIGURES TRANSFORMED exhibition, showcasing the works of Deborah Buck, Hal Buckner, and Strong-Cuevas, each using the figure as the central imagery in their work.
“I am delighted to join the Southampton Arts Center as executive director,” Strassfield shares. “I look forward to working with the board and staff as the organization embarks on its 10th year – an opportunity to celebrate all that has been accomplished and the multitude of ways that it will continue to serve the East End community for years to come.”
Strassfield resides in Southampton where she has served on the school board among other community activities.
Since inception in 2013, SAC has grown to serve more than 45,000 visitors annually, with 5+ exhibitions and 150+ programs taking place on its iconic grounds each year. The organization has developed exciting artistic and programmatic partnerships, enlightening and engaging the community through arts, culture, and history. The expansion of outdoor activations, including free public art exhibitions, film, and other programming, in addition to critical investments to enhance its historic landscape, has strengthened SAC’s position as a community leader.
SAC’s notable artistic collaborations include National Geographic, International Center of Photography, New York Academy of Art, Beyond the Streets, Hamptons Doc Fest, Hamptons Jazz Fest, Hamptons International Film Festival, and the Peter Marino Art Foundation, among dozens of other local and national cultural organizations. Most recently, SAC presented OUTCROPPING – Indigenous Art Now, the first-ever art exhibition featuring exclusively Indigenous artists locally and across the nation on ancestral Shinnecock land. Curated by Jeremy Dennis, with complementary programming curated by Shane Weeks, the exhibition provided a critical platform for Native issues across the county, highlighting shared and individual triumphs and struggles.
In 2023, SAC will celebrate its 10th anniversary. With a view toward strengthening what the organization has accomplished to date, SAC looks forward to delivering an extraordinary year of thought-provoking exhibitions and programming. Importantly, SAC will be launching a capital campaign to continue its work restoring its historic building and grounds.
ABOUT SOUTHAMPTON ARTS CENTER
Southampton Arts Center is committed to community building through the arts. From our historic building and grounds on Jobs Lane we present and produce inspiring, inclusive, socially and regionally relevant programs across all disciplines – welcoming, connecting, and collaborating with the diverse members of New York’s East End community and beyond. SAC is a not for profit 501(c)(3) organization.
For more information about Southampton Arts Center, 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton, New York 11968, visit southamptonartscenter.org or call 631.283.0967. Follow SAC on Facebook and Instagram @southamptonartscenter. For press inquiries, contact Rachel Bosworth via email at rachel@rachelbosworth.com or by phone at 631.220.1220.