Brown University’s Arts Initiative

Anne Bergeron was invited by the provost of Brown University to assist the faculty and staff in integrating six arts departments and two affiliated programs into a unified arts initiative. Undertaken as part of the university’s capital campaign goal to elevate the arts on campus and build a new $200 million performing arts center, she helped to finalize its ambitious strategic plan and then translated its objectives into a five-year operating plan and annual budgets. Together with the faculty director and arts leadership committee, Anne co-created new signature programs and collaborated with the architectural team to influence the design and functionality of the new building. She also co-developed a new visual identity, website, and multi-media communications platform for the initiative.

Anne co-led programs that brought leading contemporary visual artists and curators to campus, including Nick Cave, Thelma Golden, and Wangechi Mutu; co-organized three interdisciplinary symposia exploring arts and the environment; initiated a three-year partnership with Performa that commissioned new work from Kelly Nipper and re-presented a seminal work by Edgar Arceneaux; and co-piloted a multi-pronged series examining arts, ethics, and philanthropy. These and other programs in the performing, visual, and literary arts served as a successful proof of concept for the initiative, which later evolved into a permanent institute. Anne also aided the university’s advancement team in deepening philanthropic investment in the arts among alumni and other supporters, helping to secure over $20 million in new funding for the venue, faculty research, and co-curricular programs.