Artpace Announces New Executive Director Regine Basha

01.18.12

San Antonio, TX - Artpace is pleased to announce that Regine Basha has been appointed Executive Director. A search committee headed by Board of Directors Chairperson J. Travis Capps, Jr. announced that Basha will assume her post by March 1, 2012.

“Regine brings a unique vision to Artpace that will be invaluable to the organization,” says Capps. “Her combined experience in the Texas and international art world are a perfect fit for Artpace’s internationally acclaimed residency program.”

Basha brings nearly 20 years of experience conceiving and producing innovative curatorial projects that focus on the creation and circulation of contemporary art in both the local and global arena. Her career began in Montreal as Director of the Art Gallery of the Saidye Bronfman Centre (1991-1995) before moving to New York in 1997 and working independently in cities including Istanbul, Cairo, Berlin, and Santiago, among others. From 1998-2001, she held the post of Cultural Affairs Officer for the Canadian Consulate, overseeing the funding of New York-based art and music productions.

From 2002-2007, Basha was based in Austin, Texas, where she initiated a residency program as Adjunct Curator and Consultant for Arthouse at the Jones Center, oversaw the first Arthouse Texas Prize, and cultivated numerous collaborative ventures for the institution. During this time, she also co-founded web-based organizations fluentcollab.org and grackleworld.com, aimed to stimulate the creation of new art networks. Her essays can be found in numerous artists’ catalogues, as well as in publications such as Modern Painters, Cabinet, Art in America, and Art Papers. Basha sits on the boards of Art Matters and Aurora Picture Show and is a frequent visiting guest to universities, juries, and residency programs worldwide.

“Artpace’s mission to inspire through the creation and advancement of contemporary art and belief that art is an important social force is a model for major art institutions throughout the world,” states Basha. “I look forward to working with such a dynamic organization as it evolves and continues to challenge the role of contemporary art while fostering creative careers and giving access to the public.”

As an independent curator, Basha has worked toward expanding the format of exhibitions and providing specific contexts for new artworks, ranging from public art interventions to broadcast radio transmission to collaborations in print and online programming. Notable recent exhibitions include: Paul Pfieffer, The Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin (Fall 2012); An Exchange with Sol LeWitt, MASS MoCA/Cabinet Space, North Adams, Massachusetts/Brooklyn, New York (2011); Speculative Futures with Julieta Aranda, Beth Campbell, Cao Fei, and Ana Prvacki, SculptureCenter at Bloomberg Headquarters, New York, New York (2011); Seedlings, The Dallas Contemporary, Dallas, Texas (2010); A Series of Coincidences with Daniel Bozhkov, Serkan Ozkaya, John Menick, Dario Robleto, Cabinet, New York, New York (2009); The Marfa Sessions, Ballroom Marfa, Marfa, Texas (2009); The Activist Impulse, Women & Their Work, Austin, Texas (2008); Julieta Aranda, Sala Diaz, San Antonio, Texas (2008).

“From her curatorial history and her energy and excitement for collaboration and innovation in the arts, Regine will be an incredible force at Artpace as we look towards an exciting future,” acknowledges Capps.

Basha, who is fluent in Spanish, French, Italian, and Hebrew graduated from New York University and Concordia University in Studio Art (Montreal) and holds a Master’s of Arts from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College (New York).

Basha will be moving to San Antonio. Mary Heathcott will continue her position as Interim Managing Director through February.

About Artpace

Artpace is a contemporary art center located in San Antonio, Texas, with residencies, exhibitions, and education programs that nurture the creative expression of emerging and established artists, while actively engaging youth and adult audiences. Renowned for its International Artist-in-Residence program (IAIR), Artpace annually hosts three eight-week residencies, each of which features one Texas artist, one national artist and one international artist, who are all selected by a notable guest curator, and culminates into an exhibition. The mission of this program is to provide artists with unparalleled resources that allow them to take time, seize provocative risks, and unveil new ideas. Founder and Director of Prospect New Orleans, Dan Cameron says, “Artpace is really head and shoulders above any other organization of its kind right now.” The work created at Artpace goes on to show at some of the world’s most distinguished venues, often presenting a pivotal moment in an artist’s career.

Artpace is located downtown at 445 North Main Avenue, between Savings and Martin streets, San Antonio, Texas. Free parking is available at 513 North Flores Street. Artpace is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, 12-5pm, and by appointment. Admission is free.

###

445 North Main Avenue San Antonio TX 78205 t 210 212 4900 f 210 212 4990 www.artpace.org