STEFANIE KEENAN
Abby Bangser, the artistic director of Frieze Art Fairs for the Americas and Asia since 2015, is moving to the Dia Art Foundation in New York to take up the newly created position of deputy director of strategic initiatives. The post is described as “a key leadership role” with a directive to “advance the strategic priorities of the institution and serve as the main liaison for Dia’s sites around the United States and beyond”—among them destinations such as The Lightning Field in New Mexico, Spiral Jetty in Utah, and Allora & Cazadilla’s Puerto Rican Light (Cueva Vientos) in Puerto Rico.
“As Dia evolves, the need for strategic planning and focused partnerships becomes even more critical to support our mission,” Dia’s director, Jessica Morgan, said in a statement that noted a desire to “help bring to Dia’s many sites greater prominence, oversight, and understanding.”
At Frieze, Bangser worked on relationships with galleries, institutions, and collectors in the Americas and Asia, and also worked on the fairs’ curated gallery sections and talks. Prior to that, she was the founding head of the Americas Foundation of the Serpentine Galleries, which worked with philanthropists supporting the London-based institution’s initiatives in North and South America. Her CV also includes a stint as director of annual giving programs at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and work in different roles at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
In a statement, Bangser expressed admiration for the foundation’s holdings in the U.S. and abroad and said that she looks forward to an opportunity “to contribute to Dia’s dynamic future.”