The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) has announced the appointment of Adam Welch as the organization’s executive director, effective September 1.

“As a seasoned professional with an extensive background in arts management and fundraising, we look forward to having Adam Welch bring his creative vision, wealth of experience, and artistic excellence to the Arts Council of Princeton,” says Sarah Collum Hatfield, board president of the ACP.

Welch joins the ACP from Greenwich House Pottery in New York City, where he has worked for 17 years, serving as its director since 2010. At Greenwich House Pottery, he set the institutional vision for the country’s leading ceramic art center; refocused its mission; turned its six-figure deficit into a surplus; developed the exhibition, education, and residency programs; documented, researched, and helped organize its historical record; implemented capital campaigns; and developed its gallery and artistic publications. Welch raised necessary scholarship and capital funds and oversaw management, fundraising, budget, and public relations in close collaboration with its faculty and staff.

An artist, critic, and educator living in Hightstown, Welch serves on the faculty of Princeton University and for the past six years on the Hightstown Cultural Arts Commission, where he helped write its Public Art Master Plan, organize its annual Empty Bowls fundraiser providing relief for food insecure families, and bring public art to Hightstown.

“It is a profound honor to be appointed executive director of the Arts Council of Princeton, an organization of major importance to the Princeton community and within the New Jersey art scene,” said Welch. “I have a deep appreciation for the ACP’s work in the community and its unwavering commitment to art and artists. I eagerly look forward to working with the ACP’s staff, faculty, and board of directors. I believe deeply in the responsibility that has been given me and look forward to guiding the ACP into the future.”

Since 2018, Jim Levine has served the Arts Council of Princeton as its interim executive director. “We are grateful for Jim’s commitment and leadership during these past two years,” said Hatfield. “Thanks to his guidance and wisdom, along with outstanding support from the full staff, the organization has strengthened its mission of Building Community through the Arts, and successfully kept our constituents ‘apART together’ during this time of physical distancing.”

“The last two years as interim executive director have been among the most enjoyable, rewarding years of my career,” said Levine. “I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with many interesting people, to help the Arts Council bring art and arts education to the underserved, and to deliver on our mission. The staff of the Arts Council continuously impressed me with their creativity, ingenuity, and drive, and they are a real hidden treasure of the town. I’m looking forward to seeing Adam and the staff continue to grow the organization in the years to come and to have it become an ever more important part of the community.”