Dallas Contemporary announced that two new board members have joined the organization, along with a returning board member, under the leadership of interim executive director Lucia Simek and co-presidents of the board of directors Rod Sager and Ann McReynolds.
Peter Augustus Owen and Ramiro Garcia have recently joined the board. Augustus is known for his many contributions to the art world. He owned an eponymous gallery he later closed to focus on his Augustus Owen Foundation, a Dallas-based artist’s residency that featured Gabriel Rico last year. He is also a writer and highly sought-after arts collaborator who has held fundraisers for Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Garcia is active in the arts as an emerging collector with his partner Pablo Arellano, who shares the event floral and organic design company Concepto. He is the boutique director of Givenchy and has held previous leadership roles with luxury brands, including Brunello Cucinelli, Dolce & Gabbana, and Hugo Boss. He participates in Fleurs de Villes at NorthPark Center, which activates floral artistry in the corridors of the shopping mall. He is enrolled in the Business Council for the Arts Leadership Arts program.
Muffin Lemak, an interior designer and art collector with her husband John, returns to the Dallas Contemporary board having served previously for several years.
Dallas Contemporary’s interim executive director Lucia Simek says, “Dallas Contemporary is thrilled to add these new directors to our board. Ramiro and Peter bring experience, broad connections, fresh perspectives and enthusiastic energy to the team, and we are already seeing the fruits of their labor and generosity. We are also delighted to have Muffin Lemak, a veteran DC board member, back on the roster and look forward to seeing the many ways in which her institutional knowledge and commitment continues to shape DC’s success.”
Simek is equally enthusiastic about the new board leadership: “Our new co-presidents Ann McReynolds and Rod Sager both carry the responsibility to the mission of Dallas Contemporary with a rare integrity, humility and passion for art and the DC team and I are honored to work alongside them at this pivotal moment for the museum.”
Dallas Contemporary will kick off its year of exhibitions on January 24 with Open University, the inaugural North Texas Graduate Program exhibition curated by Matthew Higgs director and chief curator of White Columns, New York.