Mission
ArtTable is the foremost professional organization dedicated to advancing the leadership of women and nonbinary professionals in the visual arts. ArtTable was founded in New York City in 1980 to address the disparity of opportunities and recognition afforded to professional women in the arts. Over the past forty-five years, the organization has grown into a national network providing mutual support, programming, advocacy, and empowerment to women and nonbinary professionals working in various aspects of the art world.
Through our membership network and community initiatives, we expand professional opportunities for women and nonbinary professionals from diverse backgrounds and at all stages of their careers, supporting and fostering a stronger future for all women and nonbinary professionals in the arts.
All ArtTable members can connect with our worldwide network of professional peers through our member directory, programs, and volunteer opportunities.
Board of Directors & Staff
Career Opportunities
In our effort to continue supporting women and nonbinary professionals at all stages of their careers, ArtTable hosts an online Job Board with currently available positions, from early career to executive-level roles.
Strategic Plan 2024-2027
ArtTable is pursuing the following goals in 2024-2027 that collectively reflect ArtTable’s commitment to strategic growth, gender equity, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility more broadly. We will continue implementing DEIA into everything we do and use our DEIA Plan from 2021 to enhance this new Strategic Plan. The key objectives are as follows:
Structural Evolution
Embracing efficiency and unity, we are transitioning from a chapter-based structure but will be preserve local networking activities. Every member is encouraged to actively participate in programming, local networking events, and member engagement, fostering a more cohesive and involved community. We’ve now empowered ALL of our members to host networking events! Learn how to get involved here.
Unity in Diversity
Imagine an organization where art professionals from all walks of life, regions, and cultural backgrounds come together to create something extraordinary. Introducing our ArtTable Programming Committee, dedicated to crafting a national programming strategy that amplifies our mission. The mission is to craft a national programming strategy that enhances our programs and further solidifies ArtTable’s mission. The ArtTable Programming Committee consists of approximately 20 ArtTable members with a keen interest in and knowledge of art world events nationwide. We invite those with insider knowledge of upcoming art world events and those with programming experience to join the committee.
Member Engagement Amplified
Our goal is to fortify member connections. By simplifying the application process, we empower our members to drive networking and social events. We will look to enhance membership not only with additional perks but also with enhanced technology to offer ways to identify gaps in our membership and find new ways to gain allies outside of the parameters of our membership.
Internal Capacity Strenghthened
Examining our internal capacity ensures that our resources align with our evolving needs, supporting our growth and effectiveness in achieving goals. Our needs have significantly changed post-COVID, and we continue to analyze what will be the best support available to our members and community from the national office.
ArtTable History
With the vision of ArtTable founder Lila Harnett, ArtTable began in individual homes, at lunch and dinner tables in New York City in 1980 to give women “a seat at the table” in the field of visual arts. As one founding member, Joyce Pomeroy Schwartz said, “[ArtTable] seemed to take on a life of its own, and that was what was interesting….It was what the art world needed at a moment in time.”
Today, we are a national nonprofit organization with a worldwide support network of women and nonbinary professionals who work in arts administration. Our cross-professional, diverse, and valued community members are inclusive of women and nonbinary professionals in all stages of their careers who exemplify leadership in the administration, business, finance, management, promotion, scholarship, and stewardship of the visual arts. Our extended community includes 12,000+ allies and supporters of our mission.
As ArtTable has grown its network and community since the 1980s, so it has relied heavily on volunteers nationwide. ArtTable volunteers have been our eyes and ears in places our budget hasn’t expanded enough to have staff travel to and allowed us to be everywhere. We continue working with volunteers worldwide through our Programming Committee and our Impact Initiatives Committee. We appreciate the time and dedication of our volunteers each day.
Through ArtTable’s Impact Initiatives, we educate and inform members and the public about significant developments and issues in the visual arts, support dialogue, and promote the evolving leadership role of women and nonbinary arts leaders. Our initiatives provide ongoing educational and public programming, mentorship, and professional development opportunities central to our nonprofit organization’s mission. These initiatives are funded through the Impact Initiatives Fund in Honor of Meg Perlman. This fund directly impacts our national fellowship, pay equity advocacy, and career roundtable initiatives, and provides funding to our diversity, equity, inclusivity, accessibility efforts, and Affiliate Membership Program by providing education and mentoring opportunities. For a complete description of ArtTable’s Impact Initiatives, click here.
ArtTable continues to evolve and support the visual arts community. Through a strategic planning process, we update our goals every 3 – 4 years and continue to grow each year. We do this through the support of our network, the diligent work of our staff and Board of Directors, the dedication of our volunteers, and the generosity of individuals, foundations, and corporations. You can support us too!
To learn more about our history, the pioneering women who have made up ArtTable’s membership in its formative years, and the significant achievements they made together between 1980 and 2005, read Changing the Equation, ArtTable’s 25th Anniversary publication. To learn more about what we are working on today, see our upcoming programs, our program archive, our impact initiative activities, and our annual benefit celebrations.
Read our “Changing the Equation” publication now
View the Archive
Since 1980, ArtTable has advanced the careers of thousands of women in the visual arts through community building and programming. Click below to learn more about our decades of exciting and important events, talks, and exhibitions.