Title
Congratulating Eric Pryor on his appointment as President of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), making him the first Black President of PAFA.
Body
WHEREAS, Eric Pryor became President of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in January 2022. A strategic, creative, and collaborative leader, he brings over 25 years of experience in education, museum administration, and community-building initiatives to PAFA, America's first school and museum of fine arts; and
WHEREAS, Pryor joins PAFA from the Harlem School of the Arts (HSA), where he has served as President since 2015. An interdisciplinary cultural arts center that cultivates a strong sense of community and creative expression inspired by the rich history of Harlem, HSA serves over 2,000 students each year, on- and off-site, who study music, dance, theatre, and visual arts. During his tenure, he secured funding that enabled the school to undertake its first major renovation in 40 years; and
WHEREAS, Pryor previously served as Executive Director of The Center for Arts Education (CAE) in New York, providing direction and oversight for all of CAE's teaching and learning programs, professional development activities, advocacy and public engagement initiatives, and fundraising efforts; and
WHEREAS, Pryor was also Executive Director of the New Jersey State Museum (NJSM), known as "New Jersey's Smithsonian." As Executive Director, Pryor successfully revitalized this historic institution, which boasts a collection of over two million objects and specimens, the state's largest Planetarium, and 38,000 square feet of exhibition space, including a cultural history collection and a fine art collection; and
WHEREAS, Earlier in his career, Pryor served as President of the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey (VAC) in Summit, New Jersey. During his tenure at VAC, he developed and implemented a five-year strategic plan built around a $5.4 million capital campaign that expanded the VAC facility fro...
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