Leader of Americans for the Arts retires after workplace complaints
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Monday, November 25, 2024


Leader of Americans for the Arts retires after workplace complaints
Lynch, 71, had voluntarily stepped aside late last year while investigations into the organization’s equity and diversity practices and workplace management were ongoing.

by Sarah Bahr



NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Robert L. Lynch, the longtime president and chief executive of the Washington-based advocacy organization Americans for the Arts who had been on paid leave since December amid workplace complaints, has agreed to retire effective immediately, the organization’s board announced Thursday.

“Bob has dedicated his life to the arts, in particular increasing access to the arts for everyone,” the board’s statement said, “and we know he will continue to be a passionate advocate for many years to come.”

The board did not say whether Lynch had received a severance package.

Lynch, 71, had voluntarily stepped aside late last year while investigations into the organization’s equity and diversity practices and workplace management were ongoing. Those investigations have now concluded, the board’s statement said, though it did not disclose the findings.

He will be succeeded by Nolen Bivens, a retired Army brigadier general and former board member who had led the organization since December. Bivens helped found the National Initiative for Arts & Health Across the Military, which provides access to creative arts therapies at military clinical sites across the country.




Before he went on leave Dec. 16, Lynch had led AFTA for more than three decades. He served on the Biden-Harris transition team for the arts and humanities and was a prominent advocate for resources for nonprofit organizations. His annual compensation package exceeded $900,000, according to the organization’s tax filings.

Lynch was criticized by a number of current and former AFTA employees and advisory council members late last year, who called out the organization for falling short with respect to diversity, equity and inclusion. Several complainants also said they had been sexually harassed while they worked at AFTA, and said the organization had a management culture rooted in intimidation.

Critics had called for Lynch to resign from the organization, because, they said, he had long been unresponsive to the issues they raised. As calls grew for AFTA to diversify its leadership and better serve creative communities and artists of color, Lynch publicly defended the group’s actions, and vowed to do better.

AFTA said in December that it would be the subject of two independent investigations: one related to the work environment, and one focused on AFTA’s policies and procedures surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion. Those have now concluded, though the board did not say when or if it plans to release the findings.

Caitlin Strokosch, the president and chief executive of the National Performance Network, a group of artists and organizations that campaign for racial and cultural justice, said in an email Thursday that while Lynch’s resignation had been a positive step, the “toxic practices of supremacy culture” remain within the organization he built. She criticized AFTA for declining to share the findings of the investigations.

“Americans for the Arts had an opportunity for truth-telling,” she said, “and has instead chosen a path that seeks to sweep their practices under the rug, to reject transparency, and to bank on the status quo to keep them in power.”

© 2021 The New York Times Company










Today's News

May 29, 2021

Rehabilitating Nero, an emperor with a bad rap

At his moment of triumph, Arthur Jafa is looking for trouble

Exhibition explores the changing nature of the British monarchy and royal portraiture

1,000-year-old 'stolen' artefacts to return to Thailand from US

Gilbert & George's street-level explorations of our modern world on view at Thaddaeus Ropac Paris

Cowan's new era of arms & armor kicks off with $1.1M two-day auction

Rescuing artists of vision

A label reissued a dead Brazilian artist's album. He was still alive.

Brazil's Jaime Lerner, urban transport pioneer, dies at 83

Displays of work by Imi Knoebel, Charlotte Posenenske, and Franz Erhard Walther on view at Dia Beacon

Cris Scorza joins the Whitney as Helena Rubinstein Chair of Education

Leader of Americans for the Arts retires after workplace complaints

Hauser & Wirth announces representation of artist Christina Quarles

Spectacular circa-1900 gilded 'Native American' weathervane headlines Morphy's June 8-9 auction

The Hollywood Bowl is now on plan c: Filling all 18,000 seats

Exceptional results for the Marion Lambert Collection achieving €8.3 million with 97% of lots sold

A writer's one-act plays debut, continuing her resurrection

Freeman's Books and Manuscripts auction achieves 97% sell-through rate and $525,861 total

Kay Tobin Lahusen, gay rights activist and photographer, dies at 91

City Art Centre opens first major exhibition of artist Donald Smith with Islander

Hunting for mini artworks on New York's streets

Movies can go right to streaming and still be eligible for the Oscars

New exhibition featuring 80s Pop Art icon Keith Haring opens at Fenimore Art Museum

Chiswick House & Gardens opens a new artistic programme 'Bring Into Being'

Windermere Jetty Museum reopens with new stories of shipwrecks and ruins in the Lakes

How to find a sport betting operator with high odds

The Art Display Technique- Learning How to Perfectly Display Art




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Houston Dentist
Abogado de accidentes
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง
Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful