FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2021
Contact: Amanda Bertone
(888) 234.4236 Ext. 219
BOSTON — Arts Consulting Group (ACG), the leading provider of hands-on management consulting services to the arts and culture industry, today announced that Mario Garcia Durham has joined the firm as Vice President based in Washington, DC. A respected policy strategist known for his diplomatic approach and ability to bring people together, he brings more than 30 years of experience guiding community-based, regional, and national arts and service organizations. Skilled at addressing stakeholder needs to establish positive and committed organizational cultures, his areas of expertise include board relations and leadership, strategy, organizational management, resource optimization, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Garcia Durham joins ACG after having spent nearly a decade as President & CEO of the Association for Performing Arts Professionals (APAP), managing one of the largest professional associations for the performing arts field in the United States. Garcia Durham was responsible for overseeing APAP’s $4.3 million budget as well as its annual conference, which serves more than 4,000 arts professionals from over 30 different countries. During his tenure, he also strategically realigned the association, identified new fundraising resources, and significantly refocused the organization on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. APAP recently awarded him the Fan Taylor Distinguished Service Award, one of the highest honors in the field of presenting.
As Director of Artist Communities & Presenting at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Garcia Durham administered the $6 million federal grant portfolio and was instrumental in spearheading several of the agency’s national and international special initiatives, including the Guadalajara International Book Fair, NEA Opera Honors, and American Masterpieces Presenting Program. He inaugurated the NEA’s Artist Communities granting program and was the initiator of Live from Your Neighborhood, a groundbreaking study on the impact of outdoor arts festivals in the United States. Garcia Durham was also the Executive Director and Founder of Yerba Buena Arts & Events, which produces the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in San Francisco. Now in its 20th year, the festival attracts more than 100,000 people to over 100 free presentations from May to October.
In making the announcement, ACG President Bruce D. Thibodeau said, “It is such an honor that Mario Garcia Durham has joined ACG’s growing team. A trusted and well-respected leader in the nonprofit sector, his wealth of knowledge and experience will provide our clients with practical solutions for their organizational challenges.”
“It is my pleasure to join Arts Consulting Group,” said Garcia Durham. “I have worked with this firm in the past and have been very impressed with their professionalism, insights, and ability to change with the times. In my new position, I look forward to assisting individuals and organizations in building a new future for the arts.”
An adjunct professor within George Mason University’s Graduate School of Arts Administration, Garcia Durham has been a prominent participant on numerous national boards and committees, as well as award and grant panels. He currently serves as Board Chair of the Sitar Arts Center, sits on the National Advisory Committee for SMU/Data Arts, and leads the newly formed National Outdoor Arts Group. He is also part of a team bringing a major international outdoor arts exhibition called Alebrijes de Oaxaca to cities across the United States. Garcia Durham holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Houston.
About Arts Consulting Group
ACG is the leading provider of hands-on interim management, executive search, revenue enhancement, strategic planning & community engagement, facilities & program planning, and other capacity building services for the arts and culture industry. Founded in 1997, ACG is a full-service firm that effectively works with a wide range of nonprofit organizations, universities, government agencies, and for-profit entities that operate in the creative industries. The firm takes a contemporary approach to client challenges and opportunities focused on growing institutions, advancing arts and culture, and enhancing communities. ACG team members have leadership experience in every artistic and cultural discipline and they seamlessly adapt to clients’ rapidly changing strategies, business models, and operating environments. The firm currently has locations in Boston, Calgary, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Portland, Raleigh, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington, DC. For more information, please visit ArtsConsulting.com or contact info@ArtsConsulting.com or (888) 234.4236.