Maine Arts Commission names new executive director

Amy Hausmann is set to become the new executive director of the Maine Arts Commission. Courtesy of Ryan Leighton of Maine Arts Commission.

The Maine Arts Commission named its new executive director, selecting a veteran arts administrator from New York.

Amy Hausmann, who oversees a historic site in Hudson, New York, that was owned by artist Frederic Edwin Church, will take over in August from interim executive director Julie Horn, who will return to her prior position of assistant director.

Horn replaced David Greenham, who stepped down in September after serving as director since Julie Richard departed in 2020.

Hausmann was chosen out of over 90 applicants, said Bob Keyes, chair of the Maine Arts Commission, which advocates for and grants funds to artists and arts organizations in the state.

“Amy emerged as our top choice because of her experience and success in her previous roles, and because of her vision and passion for public service. We were inspired by her ideas and enthusiasm,” Keyes said in a statement. “In our conversations with her, she always put artists first and emphasized the role of artists in contributing to a better society.”

Hausmann is the director of the Olana State Historic Site, a 250-acre property that invites visitors to explore the life and art of Church, a 19th-century painter of the Hudson River School whose famous landscapes include “Mount Katahdin from Millinocket Camp.” Since her arrival at Olana in 2019, visitation to the landmark increased by 74%, Keyes’ statement said.

“Besides Olana, the only property that Frederic Church owned in his lifetime was a rustic camp on the shores of Lake Millinocket, and from that cherished spot, he sketched and painted Katahdin hundreds of times,” Hausmann said in a statement. “Church, like me and the millions who visit Maine each year, returned to this place because of an ardent and abiding appreciation of the landscape and the vibrant culture.”

Hausmann, whose parents own a farm in Richmond, spent summers as a child in Ocean Park, where she was married.

“While I have been based in New York City and upstate New York for 30 years, my heart has always belonged to Maine,” she said.

Hausmann previously worked at the New York Transit Museum and with MTA Art & Design to bring art to New York’s subway systems. She brought over 150 permanent contemporary art commissions to the trains and stations of the city.

Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement that she was impressed by Hausmann’s experience and is excited to have her lead the Maine Arts Commission during “an exciting time.”

The commission said it recently adopted a five-year strategic plan that prioritizes finding new ways to serve the arts in Maine, including through collaborations among artists and organizations.