NEW YORK, NY.- Independent New York announced the appointment of Ashley R. Harris as Executive Director. Harris will assume her post with the fair in January 2020.

In the newly created position of Executive Director, Harris will collaborate closely with co-founder and CEO of Independent Elizabeth Dee, founding curatorial advisor Matthew Higgs and the rest of the Independent team to continue developing relationships with galleries and institutional partners worldwide. Her appointment is part of Independent’s mission to continually innovate in response to the gallery and artist marketplace, thereby providing support for a sustained engagement of the audience, during and beyond the fair.

Harris joins Independent from Sotheby’s, where she has served as Marketing Director since 2016. A leader in the fields of marketing and communication, Harris has extensive experience conceptualizing and driving cohesive messaging for global brands across the fine art and luxury sectors. At Sotheby’s, Harris developed and executed multi-channel communications plans across digital, social and influencer platforms to reach new audiences.

‘With the appointment of Ashley Harris, we are entering a new phase of our business,’ Elizabeth Dee remarked. ‘Over the course of the decade, our fair has developed in concert with the demand for a new forum that prioritizes contemporary collecting, incorporating a true reflection of the arts ecosystem - and now our attention to this area is growing in truly exciting ways. Our vision is to collaborate even more closely with our community, including private collectors, galleries, brands, public museums and foundations toward a future-facing culture.’