The Lawrence Arts Center has named ceramic artist and longtime staff member Ben Ahlvers as the organization’s next interim director as the search for a permanent director continues.
Ahlvers brings two decades of arts center experience to the role, including work in multiple areas such as exhibitions, education and operations. He will take over director responsibilities starting July 22.
The outgoing interim director, Tom Huang, will return to his role at KU, according to a Lawrence Arts Center news release. He will remain active as a board member and teaching artist.
Ahlvers said the new role is an exciting change and he is excited to leverage his experience in multiple areas to help the organization as a whole.
“I want to help leave this place better than I found it,” he said in an email. “I found it to be pretty damn great when I arrived to Lawrence in 2004. I want to work hard to help put this place in a position that when a full time executive director steps in, the Lawrence Arts Center is poised for new and unexpected opportunities for the community. I want the staff, teachers, artists and performers we work with to be secure and thrive in the organization and the community. It sounds a bit ‘lofty’ but I think it has to be.”
Lawrence Arts Center board Vice Chair Amy Lee said Ahlvers’ experience made him the right person to lead the organization during the transition to a permanent leader.
“We were just thrilled when he said yes,” Lee said. “He has really been key in keeping things on track. He has a great relationship with the staff and the board.”
Lee said the board has received quality applications for the director position and is hoping to hire a permanent director by the end of the year.
The arts center has endured a turbulent year, including budget cuts that resulted in the laying off of multiple employees and slicing of program budgets.
Ahlvers said the financial challenges presented the arts center with a “reality check” and thanked Huang, staff and the board for orienting the center toward a more steady financial future. He said staff has worked diligently in recent months to maintain the arts center’s high quality programming despite the cuts.
“Places like this do not exist in towns this size,” he said. “This is a point of pride but is also the challenge. My aim will be to deepen existing relationships with donors and funding institutions as well as build new relationships. I think this community and the city dedicated themselves over 50 years ago to the idea that art is for everyone and I want to work hard to help make that happen.”
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Cuyler Dunn (he/him), a contributor to The Lawrence Times since April 2022, is a student at the University of Kansas School of Journalism. He is a graduate of Lawrence High School where he was the editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, The Budget, and was named the 2022 Kansas High School Journalist of the Year. Read his complete bio here. Read more of his work for the Times here.
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