JOE MAZZA/BRAVE LUX
Elizabeth Glassman, president and CEO of the Chicago-based Terra Foundation for American Art, will leave the nonprofit organization after 18 years in her position. She will leave her post when the foundation hires her successor.
During her tenure, which began in 2001, Glassman revised the foundation’s operational model and established a grants program that has awarded more than $100 million to exhibitions and programs in 31 countries. She also shifted the foundation’s focus from its museums in Chicago and Giverny, France—which are now closed—to the global circulation of its collection.
In addition, Glassman played a role in establishing the Paris Center & Library, the only research library in Europe dedicated solely to American art. The center, which opened in 2009, houses some 10,000 books and catalogues.
Glassman said in a statement, “While we have made fundamental shifts in our approach to better serve our mission and the needs of the many cultural partners with whom we’ve collaborated, there remains much to do as the field of cultural philanthropy continues to rapidly evolve and the need for dialogue and mutual understanding becomes ever more important. Art has the power to start and propel conversation, and I very much look forward to the Terra Foundation’s ongoing leadership in creating and supporting the platforms that make these necessary discussions possible.”
Joseph P. Gromacki, chair of the Terra Foundation board, added, “We are deeply grateful for Liz’s visionary leadership of the Terra Foundation. Her boldness of vision has set the Terra Foundation on a trajectory of innovation and experimentation that prioritizes our cultural partners and the connections that can be made across cultures and communities.”