NIAD Art Center Appoints Amy Kisch as Executive Director

RICHMOND, CA — NIAD Art Center is pleased to announce the appointment of Amy Kisch as its new Executive Director. Kisch will lead one of the nation's pioneering progressive art studios as it builds on more than four decades of supporting the creative practices and professional careers of nearly 80 artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Kisch brings a rare combination of experience to the role: over 30 years as an arts leader, strategist, curator, and nonprofit executive, paired with an early career in clinical and community social work. That dual background shapes a leadership approach that is both strategically rigorous and deeply human — one that has consistently centered the humanity, agency, and lived expertise of the people and communities she serves. This pairing of artistic and clinical perspectives echoes the vision of NIAD's own co-founders, Florence Ludins-Katz and Dr. Elias Katz, whose respective backgrounds in art education and clinical psychology shaped NIAD's founding belief that all people, including those with disabilities, possess an innate capacity for creative expression. 

Throughout her career, Kisch has worked to expand visibility, representation, and opportunity for artists, recognizing their role as trusted messengers and cultural anchors within their communities. She is committed to democratizing public access to the arts and building inclusive creative ecosystems that sustain lasting cultural change. Kisch has strengthened organizations that support artists, diversifying who makes institutional decisions to ensure myriad perspectives are represented. She has secured major philanthropic investments, developed multi-sector collaborations, and built artist-centered initiatives that connect creative practice with community engagement and long-term organizational sustainability. 

Previously, as Head of Art + Public Programs at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Kisch led multidisciplinary exhibitions, performances, commissions, and civic initiatives engaging communities across the Bay Area. As Founder + Artistic Director of Art+Action, she built a cross-sector coalition to launch Come to Your Census, a national arts-driven civic campaign mobilizing communities around the 2020 Census to counter census suppression. As Founder + CEO of AKArt Advisory, she has advised cultural, philanthropic, and government entities including the Waverley Street Foundation, San Francisco's Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs, and the Consulate General of Switzerland — with collaborations extending to organizations including For Freedoms, Artadia, UC Berkeley, CCA, Headlands Center for the Arts, and Black (Space) Residency, among others.

Kisch succeeds Interim Executive Director Lucy Zimmerman, who has led the organization since January 2026 following the departure of Amanda Eicher, who served as NIAD’s Executive Director for seven years. Zimmerman guided the organization through this transition while maintaining momentum across artist services, exhibitions, fundraising, strategic planning, and board governance. She will return to her role as Director of Exhibitions & Partnerships following Kisch's arrival, ensuring continuity for major institutional initiatives and artist-focused exhibitions and programs.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to express our deep gratitude to Amanda Eicher for her visionary leadership and to Lucy Zimmerman for her steady stewardship during this transition," said Ben Choi, NIAD’s Board Chair. "Amy brings an extraordinary combination of strategic vision, artist-centered leadership, and organizational expertise. We are thrilled to welcome her to NIAD and confident she will build on the strong foundation Amanda and Lucy helped create as the organization moves forward."

"I'm looking forward to bringing the full depth of my experience to leading NIAD's next chapter," said Kisch. "My conviction has always been that art gives people the platform to be seen and heard on their own terms. I'm honored to join an organization built on the understanding that accessibility is inseparable from dignity. I am energized to further amplify these powerful creative voices and support an equitable and cohesive organizational culture where NIAD's artists and staff continue to have strong foundations for creativity and authentic self-expression."

As NIAD approaches its 45th anniversary in 2027, the organization is poised to deepen its role as both a nationally recognized center for artistic excellence and a leader in advancing disability culture. Under Kisch's leadership, NIAD will continue expanding opportunities for artists to build sustainable careers, increase the visibility of their work, strengthen community partnerships, and ensure the organization remains a vibrant, welcoming, and accessible creative home for generations to come.

About NIAD Art Center

Founded in 1982, NIAD Art Center (Nurturing Independence Through Artistic Development) is a nonprofit progressive art studio and gallery in Richmond, California. NIAD promotes creative expression, independence, dignity, and community integration by supporting artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities in sustaining meaningful studio practices and professional careers. Through exhibitions, sales, public programs, and collaborations with museums and galleries around the world, NIAD advances the work of its artists while expanding conversations around contemporary art, accessibility, and disability culture.

NIAD artists have seen a wave of national recognition in recent years. In 2025, Marlon Mullen was honored with a solo exhibition at New York's Museum of Modern Art. NIAD artists' work has also entered major museum collections, including 12 pieces acquired by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2023 and 19 by the Oakland Museum of California in 2024 as part of its Into the Brightness exhibition. Individual honors have followed too: Mullen received a 2025 Eureka Fellowship from the Fleishhacker Foundation, and Felicia Griffin won a 2024 Wynn Newhouse Award. Most recently, NIAD itself was recognized with the East Bay Economic Development Alliance's 2026 East Bay Innovation Award for Arts & Culture. Looking ahead, Dorian Reid — an awardee of the Museum of the African Diaspora's Emerging Artist Program — opens a solo exhibition at MoAD in September 2026. 

For all its international acclaim, NIAD remains anchored in Richmond — a city shaped by a storied industrial past and one of the Bay Area’s most diverse communities. As a founding partner in the emerging Richmond Arts Corridor initiative, NIAD’s artists and staff are helping shape a community-centered vision for the future of contemporary art.

Media Contact:

Jam

Communications Manager

NIAD Art Center

jam@niadart.org

510-620-0290