Cindy Meyers Foley is the new director and CEO of the Grand Rapids Art Museum.
Starting her new role at Grand Rapids Art Museum June 5, Foley previously spent 17 years at the Columbus Museum of Art, most recently serving as the Scantland Family Executive Director for Learning, Experience and Engagement. She will lead all aspects of Grand Rapids Art Museum operations, including guiding the overall direction of curatorial and educational programming, cultivating new and current partnerships with local, regional, and national organizations, and championing an organizational culture that drives diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion.
Foley holds a master’s degree in art education from Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree in Individual Studies in the Arts from the University of Kentucky. Here, she shares her thoughts on her new job, how it dovetails with her prior work, and on coming to Michigan already knowing how to play euchre.
Q. What intrigues you most about your new position?
A. I am honored to have been selected as the Grand Rapids Art Museum’s next Director and CEO. Grand Rapids Art Museum is a national model for evolving to meet the needs of its community, and I personally can’t wait to work alongside such an innovative team. It is especially meaningful to be joining the arts community in a city that is growing and thriving, a perfect place for a museum and its partners to be catalysts for community creativity.
Q. How does your prior experience dovetail with your new responsibilities in Grand Rapids?
A. My years at CMA were marked by significant change—specifically a huge capital campaign resulting in a new wing. The challenge I found myself addressing was institutional relevancy. We were learning that our community didn’t find the museum essential, and therefore, they were not responding to our campaign. Those surveyed were pleased that there was an art museum in their community, but they didn’t necessarily see it as valuable to their own lives. To address this, I analyzed what makes leisure experiences important.
People want to share meaningful experiences with their family and friends, they want to have opportunities to imagine and create, and they want a place that boosts their resiliency and a sense of joy. CMA needed to change. I questioned standard museum practices, pushed boundaries, and experimented. We prioritized visitors in our decision-making, rather than just focusing on art world audiences. The results were immediate. These learnings apply to any institution that is looking to deepen its relationship with its community.
I believe that Grand Rapids Art Museum is uniquely poised to collaborate with this region’s artists, nonprofits, schools, and social service organizations to explore the most urgent, social, cultural, and artistic questions of our time. The power of art and museum spaces is not just the objects and content, it is what we do to catalyze the ideas inherent in the work.
Q. How do you see the Columbus market as being similar to GR? Different?
A. Both cities are growth cities, which means constant change, dynamic opportunity, and an influx of diverse perspectives and a range of lived experiences. Both cities feel alive. The biggest difference I have experienced is that Grand Rapids doesn’t feel like it has splintered into bedroom communities disconnected from the downtown. I have been able to get anywhere in 15 minutes—not the case in Columbus.
Q. Did you have any prior ties to Michigan?
A. My college roommate returned to Michigan after our years at the University of Kentucky. I have been able to experience the state through our reunions and family meetups. Without her and her family, I never would have learned to play euchre, which she tells me is Michigan’s “official” game.
