Powerhouse Arts Names Liz Munsell Vice President of Curatorial Arts and Programs
The Brooklyn nonprofit tapped curator Liz Munsell to lead exhibitions and public programming as it scales residencies, subsidy initiatives, and its growing print fair ecosystem.
Powerhouse Arts has appointed Liz Munsell as Vice President of Curatorial Arts and Programs, a move that signals where many US nonprofits are heading: away from collection-first prestige and toward production-first cultural infrastructure.
Munsell arrives with institutional credentials from the Jewish Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and Harvard. But the more interesting question is what that experience does in Gowanus, where Powerhouse’s identity is built around making, technical support, and cross-disciplinary artist services.
In practical terms, she will lead exhibition and public program strategy while overseeing support systems that include residencies and subsidy initiatives. That portfolio matters because it combines visibility with material conditions rather than treating them as separate departments.
The timing is strategic. Powerhouse is preparing the second edition of the Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair in early April, and leadership continuity around programming can determine whether fair momentum translates into year-round institutional relevance.
Munsell succeeds Diya Vij, recently named New York City commissioner of cultural affairs. That transition places Powerhouse within a broader municipal and policy context, where nonprofit art infrastructure is increasingly expected to deliver both artistic ambition and measurable community value.
Constanza Valenzuela joins as associate curator, suggesting the organization is building a curatorial bench rather than relying on a single high-profile appointment. For institutions in growth mode, that is usually a better indicator of durability than headline hires alone.
The challenge now is execution: can Powerhouse sustain an artist-centered agenda while scaling public-facing programming without slipping into event churn? The answer will likely define whether it becomes a lasting model or another temporary bright spot in New York’s nonprofit landscape.
Primary source: <a href='https://www.artforum.com/news/liz-munsell-named-vice-president-of-powerhouse-arts-1234745820/' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Artforum report.