New Executive Director for GRACE

Holly Koons McCullough has been appointed the new executive director of the Greater Reston Arts Center.

McCullough,currently the GRACE curator, replaces Damian Sinclair, who recently resigned. She will also maintain her curator responsibilities.

“My goal is to lead GRACE to a position of growth and prosperity, allowing the organization to better serve its mission to enrich community life by promoting involvement and excellence in the visual arts,” McCullough said in a statement.

“I intend to bring in exhibitions that inspire and educate, in addition to promoting Reston as a cultural destination. I also hope to expand the reach of our educational programming that currently serves over 20,000 students in more than 40 schools regionally, and take our highly-anticipated annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival to an even higher level of quality and success.”

McCullough has spent 17 years in the arts. She served as the Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah, GA, in the 15 years prior to her appointment as GRACE’s curator. She managed the Telfair’s permanent collection and 12-16 changing exhibitions annually, was responsible for an extensive curatorial budget and staff of six, and pursued grants and fundraising in support of exhibitions, collections, and acquisitions, GRACE’s board said.

At GRACE, she has scheduled upcoming exhibitions featuring nationally-recognized artists and has proposed collaborative installations beyond the gallery’s walls, cultivating a greater awareness of the center and its mission.

McCullough holds a BA in English and Art History from the University of Georgia and an MA in Art History from the University of Notre Dame. She will assume the Executive Director role Jan. 1.