BRIC Appoints Accomplished Artist and Arts Administrator As New President

FORT GREENE – BRIC announced on Tuesday that it has appointed artist, curator, and arts administrator, Kristina Newman-Scott, as its new president.

The Brooklyn media organization’s Board of Directors launched a nationwide search for a new president last fall after former president, Leslie Griesbach Schultz, announced that she would be stepping down from the position in June after 13 years.

“We are thrilled and honored to welcome Kristina to Brooklyn, and consider her arrival one of the foremost triumphs of BRIC’s 40th anniversary,” Chair of BRIC’s Board of Directors, Hilary Ackermann, said in a statement announcing Newman-Scott’s hire. “She has found innovative ways to support artists, cultural practitioners, media-makers, and creative entrepreneurs throughout her singular career. As a creative leader, she has the experience and vision to build on our success and help chart our path for the future.”

Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, Newman-Scott received her BFA from the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. She moved to Connecticut in 2005 where she served as a curator and arts administrator for Visual Arts at Real Art Ways in Hartford. In 2010, she was appointed as the Director of Programs for the Boston Center for the Arts where she led various innovative programs in dance, literature, public art, theater, visual art, and education, ensuring that all of the programs reflected that city’s diversity.

From 2012 through 2015, Newman-Scott worked as the Director of Marketing, Events, and Cultural Affairs for the city of Hartford. In 2015 she became the Director of Culture for the State of Connecticut—the first woman of color and first immigrant to serve in this role— overseeing the state’s arts, culture, and historic preservation programs and services.

“The mission of BRIC—including using the arts as a catalyst to create vibrant, connected, and strong communities—has been part of my DNA as long as I can remember,” Newman-Scott said in a statement. “When we have access to the arts, we can most effectively advocate for our needs, educate our children, invest in the talent around us and support each other. I am honored to be a part of the BRIC team, and to continue this important and rewarding work.”

Newman-Scott will officially begin her new role with BRIC in September.

Now in its 40th year, BRIC is the leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, and one of the largest in NYC. The organization’s programming includes the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, a contemporary art exhibition series, Brooklyn’s Public Access initiative, Brooklyn Free Speech, and BRIC TV. BRIC also offers educational programs at its headquarters, BRIC House, in Fort Greene. Learn more at bricartsmedia.org.