Harpo Foundation is thrilled to announce that Michelle West will join the Foundation to serve in the newly created position of Program Manager, joining Executive Director Julie Deamer as the Foundation’s second staff member.
“I couldn’t be more excited to have Michelle join me as my partner. With over ten years of experience in the arts, including several years developing and overseeing residency programs, Michelle proved to be the ideal candidate for this position,” says Julie Deamer.
Michelle will be responsible for the management of the Foundation’s grantmaking and residency fellowship programs and will provide management support to a new residency program at Harpo Foundation Founder Ed Levine’s former home and studio in South Royalton, Vermont. Michelle will also support the stewardship of Ed Levine’s archives and artwork.
Michelle received her M.A. in Art History, Theory, and Criticism from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her B.A. in Art History from the University of Florida. For four years, she served as Director of the Acadia Summer Arts Program in Bar Harbor, Maine, an interdisciplinary artist and arts-professional residency program which hosted over 100 visual artists, writers, choreographers, and curators each summer. More recently she served as the Residency Manager at Djerassi Resident Artists Program in Woodside, CA. Michelle has also held curatorial positions at The Art Institute of Chicago, The Norton Museum of Art, and The Santa Barbara Museum of Art and brings a demonstrated interest in, knowledge of, and passion for contemporary visual art.