BOSTON, MASS.- The Society of Arts and Crafts announces the appointment of Fabio J. Fernández as its new Executive Director after a national search. SAC was established in 1897 and is America's oldest non-profit craft organization. Fernández succeeds Beth Ann Gerstein who served as Executive Director of SAC for 21 years.

SAC Board President, Alyda Dewhirst, notes that "Fabio is a very creative and forward thinking individual. His deep craft knowledge and interpersonal skills will help SAC advance and develop its vision and contributions to the field. We are thrilled to start this new and exciting time in SAC's history with Fabio as our leader."

SAC Board President, Alyda Dewhirst, notes that "Fabio is a very creative and forward thinking individual. His deep craft knowledge and interpersonal skills will help SAC advance and develop its vision and contributions to the field. We are thrilled to start this new and exciting time in SAC's history with Fabio as our leader."

Fernández served as the Exhibitions Director at SAC for the past eight years and as Associate Curator at Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan for three years. He has planned and executed national exhibitions that presented fresh explorations into the conceptual, technical and material approaches by contemporary artists, craftsmen, and designers. His recent curated exhibitions include The Theater of Repetition: Slipcast Ceramics, POP Craft, and Wendy Maruyama: Executive Order 9066.

Fernández is a notable advocate in the craft community. He serves as a Trustee of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine and has been a visiting critic at universities around the country. He has served as a juror on numerous grant panels and is a founding committee member of the Make/Speak Lecture Series in Boston. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan and a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

In response to his appointment as Executive Director, Fernández says, "I am honored to become the next Executive Director of The Society of Arts and Crafts. SAC has been at the forefront of the American crafts movement and is now at an important juncture in its long history. The expansion of the global economy, the rise of consumerism, and the advancement of new material technologies and methods of making have set a new stage for SAC and the artists we promote. A bright and exciting future lies ahead for SAC and I am excited to work with our talented staff, Trustees, and stakeholders to lead us forward."

The Society of Arts and Crafts has been a cornerstone of Boston's cultural scene since 1897. Rooted in the desire to promote excellence in craft and support the makers that lived by the same code, the first non-profit organization of its kind was conceived. Nearly 118 years later, the spirit of SAC remains unwavered. The Society of Arts and Crafts' mission is to encourage the creation, collection, and promotion of the work of contemporary craft artists and to advance public appreciation of fine craft. SAC is the producer of the CraftBoston series, New England's premiere juried contemporary craft shows. The Society of Arts and Crafts retail gallery, exhibition gallery and administrative offices are located at 175 Newbury Street in Boston's historic Back Bay.