Art Center Sarasota names new management team

Art Center Sarasota has promoted Katherine Ceaser to executive director from director of education and named Mary Davis Wallace as board chair. 

Ceaser succeeds Kinsey Robb, who resigned in September after three years at the helm of Sarasota's oldest visual arts organization to become executive director of the national nonprofit Art Dealers Association of America.

Davis takes over from previous board chair Ramsey Frangie, who has moved to the treasurer position.

A native of Sarasota, Ceaser has a strong background in arts engagement and community engagement. She served as an adjunct faculty member and education adviser at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee before joining ACS in 2023. She also worked as a teacher in Sarasota County Schools.

During her tenure as the ACS education director, Ceaser doubled the number of instructors, established off-site programs and increased offerings. She also built partnerships with The Bay, the bayfront park where the institution is located. 

Founded in 1926 by Marcia Rader, Art Center Sarasota is admission-free and open to the public. Under Robb, it upgraded its premises and streamlined its submission process for juried and solo shows. 

"I'm excited about honoring our legacy and connecting with the community to map out our future," Ceaser said in a statement. "I'm committed to working with our community to discover innovative funding sources and develop programs to strengthen ACS's long-term sustainability."

Wallace is the founder/CEO of Cultural Planning Consultants and authored the City of Sarasota's 2030 Public Art Plan, which was adopted by the Sarasota City Commission and is currently being implemented.