WHITE
PLAINS, N.Y., May 22, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- After an extensive national search,
ArtsWestchester's Board of Directors announced today the
appointment of Kathleen Reckling as
its new CEO, effective July 1,
2024. She is succeeding Janet
Langsam who, after 33 years of stalwart leadership at
ArtsWestchester bolstering the county's cultural infrastructure, is
transitioning from CEO to CEO Emerita.
Reckling joined ArtsWestchester in 2011, and during her tenure
has held key leadership roles: spearheading the Arts Council's
exhibition program over the last decade, serving as Director of
Public Programs and most recently serving as Chief Operating
Officer for the organization. Among her numerous honors and
recognitions, Reckling was selected as a Business Council of
Westchester Rising Star in 2020 and
a 914INC. Wunderkind in 2015.
"In appointing Kathleen as our next CEO, the ArtsWestchester
Board affirms our confidence in Kathleen's leadership abilities and
strategic expertise expressed in her numerous ArtsWestchester
successes, achievements, and her commitment to the Westchester arts
community and affiliates. Kathleen's vision for ArtsWestchester
will build on the organization's notable legacy and further enhance
ArtsWestchester's mission to bring the arts to all Westchester
residents," said Marie Smith,
President of the Board of Directors of ArtsWestchester.
"I am thrilled that ArtsWestchester has selected Kathleen Reckling as its new CEO. With her
long-time service, rising through the ranks at ArtsWestchester,
Kathleen brings a level of expertise, strategic leadership, vision
and energy that will propel this storied organization to the next
level," said ArtsWestchester Board Member Edward J. Lewis III,
President & CEO, Caramoor.
"It's a great honor to take on this incredible leadership
position at ArtsWestchester, an organization that is deeply
respected and that has significant personal meaning for me," said
Reckling. "I am excited to continue my work alongside our dedicated
Board of Directors and many community partners. This is an
exceptionally dynamic time for the arts in the lower Hudson Valley, with a booming creative workforce
and unbounded vision among our many new and established cultural
organizations. I look forward to guiding and empowering our
talented team as we seek new opportunities to expand our impact and
support of this diverse and ever-growing arts sector."
Reckling is a sought-out partner in public art, working across
the public and private sectors to deliver inspiring works of art.
In 2016, she was recognized as an emerging leader in the field by
Americans for the Arts with a scholarship to its annual Public Art
Conference. She oversaw the creation and installation of "Best of
Westchester" winning "Metropolis Sunrise," a six-story textile
sculpture by Amanda Browder for the
façade of ArtsWestchester's building. Despite a pause in project
activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 1,000 volunteers from
across Westchester participated in the artwork's creation. In
addition, she managed the Serious Fun Arts Fest, a five-day public
art festival produced in collaboration with I Love NY, the
City of White Plains, the White
Plains BID, and 11 property developers. Working in partnership with
the NYS Thruway Authority and the Arts Council of Rockland, she oversaw the commissioning of 10
major works of art for the Gov. Mario M.
Cuomo Bridge. In addition, she managed the
commissioning of "Peaceful Journey" by Eto Otitigbe, monument to
Dwight Myers, known professionally
as Heavy D, a trailblazing hip-hop artist and Mount Vernon resident. The two-story sculpture
was created for 42 Broad Street, an Alexander Development property
in Mount Vernon.
In her various roles at ArtsWestchester, Reckling has been an
advocate for area artists. As Gallery Director, she grew
ArtsWestchester's exhibitions program into a regional leader by
securing significant National Endowment for the Arts funding in
every fiscal year since 2014. Over 2020, she oversaw the creation
and administration of a COVID-19 Relief Fund that distributed
emergency grants of $500 to
Westchester artists. In addition, she successfully secured an
American Rescue Plan Act Local Arts Agency Subgrant from the NEA to
expand and administer a new grant program, Voices for Change
which supports the creation of new work by Hudson Valley regional artists.
As Director of Public Programs, she championed ArtsWestchester's
commitment to advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and
accessibility in and through the arts. Under her supervision,
ArtsWestchester established a Social Justice Committee, deepened
allyship with the LGBTQ+ community and initiated ongoing public
programs developed in collaboration with a diverse array of
Westchester's cultural communities, including the outdoor concert
series Westchester Roots. Among the
department's notable achievements was the formation of the
Westchester Heritage Ambassador Corps. Supported by a major
two-year grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services,
the Heritage Ambassador Program is a community scholars training
initiative that supports the development of cultural leaders and
programming in under-resourced Westchester communities.
Reckling holds a Master of Arts in Art History from Columbia University Graduate School of Arts &
Sciences, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from
Columbia College of Columbia
University. In 2012, she received Columbia College Alumni Association's Dean's
Award. Reckling trained in curatorial
departments at institutions in New
York City and Westchester, including the Hudson River
Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the National Museum of the
American Indian New York.
A life-long Westchester resident, Reckling is a
former internationally ranked fencer who competed in two US
Olympic Trials. She captained the Columbia
University Fencing Team to a Top 3 finish at the 2007 NCAA
Division 1 Championships and to the Ivy League Conference
Championship title. Since 2020, she has served as Board President
of Fencers Club, INC, the oldest, continuously running school
dedicated to the sport of fencing in North America.
About ArtsWestchester: For more than 50 years,
ArtsWestchester has been the community's connection to the arts.
Founded in 1965, it is the largest private not-for-profit arts
council in New York State. Its
mission is to create an equitable, inclusive, vibrant and
sustainable Westchester County in
which the arts are integral to and integrated into every facet of
life. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich
the lives of everyone in Westchester
County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and
plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community
centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through
diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased
the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue
which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for
artists, cultural organizations and the community. A two-story
gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester's historic
building on Mamaroneck Avenue. artsw.org
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SOURCE ArtsWestchester