NEW YORK, NY.- President of The Hill Art Foundation, J. Tomilson Hill, announced today that Sarah Needham has been appointed the Executive Director of his operating art foundation in New York, which will launch in November 2018. Sarah joins the Chelsea-based foundation following her accomplished tenure at Stavros Niarchos Foundation, where she held the position of Program Officer for four years.

Commenting on Sarah Needham’s appointment, President of The Hill Art Foundation, J. Tomilson Hill, said: "I selected Sarah from a competitive pool of candidates because she possesses all the requisite skills and experience necessary to succeed in this role for our foundation. Her relevant expertise ranges from developing robust business strategies and innovating, to her deep knowledge of organizational structures, and strength in leadership. With her extensive background in business and the arts, Sarah will bring an entrepreneurial spirit to the running of The Hill Art Foundation. I cannot imagine a more capable person to partner with me in organizing our exhibitions, in presiding over our permanent collection and in developing a truly innovative program in education.”

In The Hill Art Foundation’s newly created position of Executive Director, Sarah will manage all logistical aspects of the foundation —from staffing, brand management and marketing to vital relationship-building within the arts and culture community— in addition to being responsible for developing and implementing three core pillars key to the strategic direction and future vision for this groundbreaking operating art foundation. Sarah will partner closely with the foundation’s President to: organize temporary exhibitions in collaboration, on occasion, with external curators; manage the permanent collection of works spanning Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes, Old Master paintings, Post-War and Contemporary Art and pieces created by mid-career artists; as well as oversee the structuring and execution of a robust education initiative, which will work with other organizations in the city to engage high school students and create programming.

On her new role, Sarah Needham remarked, “I’m honored to be working with Tom and his family at the outset of this incredible journey.” Sarah continued, “I look forward to opening the foundation, to this remarkable collection being on view to the public, and to developing education programs that can help make this art accessible to all. In partnership with Tom, I also look forward to engaging talented curators from time-to-time to enhance the curatorial rigor of the exhibition program, which will be a hugely important aspect of the foundation’s vision.”

Sarah Needham most recently served as a Program Officer at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. During her tenure, Sarah was responsible for grant making to arts and education nonprofits across the globe, and spearheading a program to provide direct funding to artists in Athens, where youth unemployment has skyrocketed, among numerous other achievements. Prior, Sarah worked at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, where she held a variety of roles and helped to organize the campus’ first-ever public art initiative.

Endorsing Sarah Needham’s appointment, Kara Madoff Barnett, Executive Director, American Ballet Theatre, said: "Sarah has a deep appreciation for artists and the arts organizations that support and propel their work. She has a rare combination of aesthetic intelligence, emotional intelligence, and business acumen. Sarah is wired to build strong and lasting partnerships, and I look forward to observing, celebrating, and participating in the thriving ecosystem that she helps to shape with The Hill Art Foundation as hub and catalyst.”

Commenting on Sarah’s appointment, Richard Armstrong, Director, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, remarked: “Sarah Needham is a gifted executive who is at home in the New York art world. She is a good and promising choice for The Hill Art Foundation.”

The Hill Art Foundation staged a highly successful first public exhibition of 15 major paintings and works on paper by acclaimed artist, Christopher Wool, from The Hill Art Collection, which was strategically presented during Art Basel in Hong Kong in March 2018 at H Queen’s — Hong Kong’s newest center for art and culture. Building on its successful debut in Asia, the operating art foundation’s inaugural show in November this year at its permanent and one-of-a-kind new space on West 24th Street in New York City’s renowned Chelsea district —designed by distinguished architect Peter Marino— will showcase a more comprehensive survey of 21 of Wool’s artworks in The Hill Collection. The foundation’s programming will be open to the public and free.