With the retirement of Penny Burke, the longtime director of the Northampton Center for the Arts (NCFA), the arts organization has restructured its management system, opening the door for its new managing director, Christian Herold.
Herold, most recently of Cambridge, has a deep background in the arts. Among a number of past positions, he taught in the undergraduate theater program at New York University, and he has also taught creative drama and run a theater company in Cambridge.
More recently, he directed People’s Sculpture Racing, a Cambridge group that stages races of wheeled, artistic sculptures and produces educational family workshops. He also served as executive director of the Munroe Center for the Arts in Lexington, where he spearheaded the town’s first open studios and organized multicultural performances.
In a statement, Herold said he’s looking forward to his new role of helping organize arts projects and events and making Northampton’s Community Arts Trust building, which has recently opened more of its facilities for use (including office space for NCFA), a central point of arts activity in the region.
“I am proud of my success in building projects that serve both the broad community and advanced artistic practice,” he said. “I am especially excited to play a part in launching the center in its new role at 33 Hawley Street.”
As NCFA’s managing director, Herold is working with the center’s program director, Kelly Silliman, to put together more programming. Penny Burke previously handled all of NCFA’s management and planning responsibilities.
Herold says he’s also no stranger to western Massachusetts: His brother, Nat Herold, is a lifelong resident of the Valley and the owner of Amherst Books.
This Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., NCFA will also hold an open house at the Community Arts Trust building to give residents a chance to see the performing spaces and to meet resident artists such as the Lisa Leizman Dance Company.
Special performances and workshops for children and adults are on tap, such as a scene from Real Live Theatre’s production “She Kills Monsters” and a hip-hop dance class led by Danielle Smith.
Steve Pfarrer can be reached at spfarrer@gazettenet.com.