Redux Contemporary Art Center in Charleston, SC, is pleased to introduce Janie Askew as its new Executive Director. Askew accepted an offer this week and starts Oct. 1, 2011. The board, staff and studio artists are confident in Askew’s qualifications and commitment.
Board President, Josh Silverman, says, “We’re thrilled to have Janie join us as the new Executive Director. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge, a passion for the arts and a unique vision for new directions. She’s was a standout candidate for the role in a very competitive field, and she will continue to develop the mission and the message for our upcoming 10th year as an organization.”
Askew will become Redux’s fifth director since its founding in 2002. Askew follows the nearly three-year tenure of current Executive Director, Karen Ann Myers. Myers has taken a position as Assistant Director at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art.
Redux Board Member and immediate past President, Chris Burgess, says “Karen has been a huge asset to Redux for the last three years and a primary reason for the growth we have enjoyed during that time. We will miss her greatly but are thankful for everything she has done for Redux and look forward to working with her and the Halsey Institute in continuing to promote contemporary art in Charleston.”
Askew inherits an organization that has shown exponential growth in the past three years. The operating budget has increased over 75%. The facilities at Redux have expanded to enhance exhibition, studio, and classroom spaces. The education program now includes over 150 annual classes, workshops for youth and adults, and an outreach program that serves Carolina Youth Development Center, the Citadel, Charleston County School District, Boys and Girls Club and the Girl Scouts of America. Notably a grant for exhibition support was received from the prestigious Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts in recognition of the contribution that Redux makes to the appreciation of contemporary art in the city of Charleston.
As the Executive Director at Redux, Askew will be responsible for maintaining, overseeing and developing all programming. This includes curating exhibitions, overseeing the artist in residence program, planning film screenings, lectures, classes, workshops and other educational outreach.
Current Executive Director, Karen Ann Myers, says, “Janie is the perfect fit for the role of Executive Director at Redux. She is already an excellent teacher in our education program, and we welcome her talent and expertise as our new director. Her plans for the exhibition, education and studio programs are very exciting. I am thrilled that I am going to be part of the studio program and still be involved with Redux under Janie’s direction. Redux is lucky to have her.”
Janie Askew is an artist, educator, and curator. She received an MFA in Printmaking from the University of Georgia and a BFA in Printmaking from East Carolina University. Askew’s past experiences range from instructing studio art courses at the University of Georgia to curating various art exhibitions, including a contemporary drawing show at the MOCA Expansion Gallery in Atlanta. She is passionate about Redux’s mission and is excited to enter this era of tremendous growth. As a practicing artist and current instructor at Redux, she is knowledgeable of the diverse needs surrounding Redux’s studio and educational programming.
When not at Redux, Askew enjoys taking her Chihuahua backpacking and continuing her artistic practice. Askew has been featured in Creative Quarterly: The Journal of Art and Design: a publication run out of New York, NY. Her recent exhibitions include: the Bradley International Print Exhibition, in Peoria, IL, at Kleio Projects, New York, NY, MOCA GA Expansion Gallery, Atlanta, GA, Lamar Dodd School of Art, Athens, GA, Gallery 1010, Knoxville, TN, Wellington B. Gallery, Greenville, NC, and the Rainbow Gallery, SUNY Brockport, NY. She is included in the special collections at Yale University, New Haven, CT and Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
Redux Contemporary Art Center is a Charleston, SC nonprofit arts organization committed to the fostering of creativity and the cultivation of contemporary art through diverse exhibitions, subsidized studio space for artists, expansive educational programming, and a multidisciplinary approach to the dialogue between artists and audience. Redux offers free year round art exhibitions, artist and curator lecture series, and film screenings, while educating our community through classes and workshops, community outreach, and internship opportunities. Redux is instrumental in presenting new artists to our community through our artist in residency program, and our many live artist and music performances. In addition, Redux remains a bustling center for the contemporary arts with 22 private artist studios, and the only community printmaking and darkroom facilities in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
For more information contact Redux Contemporary Art Center by calling 843/722-0697 or visiting (www.reduxstudios.org).
