| About | • | Support Yaddo | • | Apply | • | Artists | • | Yaddo Gardens | • | Contact | • | Login |
Yaddo Announces A New President
New York (April 13, 2000) — Yaddo Chairman Donald S. Rice announced today that Elaina Richardson, the editor-in-chief of Elle magazine, has been selected as the new President of Yaddo. Ms. Richardson’s appointment was formally approved by Yaddo’s Board of Directors on April 12, 2000, and she will assume the Presidency at Yaddo’s Annual Meeting on September 9, 2000.
Ms. Richardson is an award-winning writer and editor with more than 15 years experience in publishing, both in the United States and her native Great Britain. She was educated at the University of Edinburgh and Oxford University and has also written and lectured extensively on her specialty, eighteenth-century English literature. “We believe that Elaina will be an effective leader for Yaddo,” said Mr. Rice. “Most importantly, Elaina has a deep understanding of Yaddo’s program and place in the arts and has a great credibility with artists from all disciplines.”
Ms. Richardson has edited Elle since October of 1996. Ms. Richardson has also worked for Mirabella magazine, The New York Post, and as a contributor to BBC Radio 4’s nightly news and culture show, Kaleidoscope.
“This is a unique opportunity,” said Ms. Richardson. “Yaddo has a very special, and crucial, role in the arts and I greatly look forward to managing the challenges and possibilities its second century will bring.” Ms. Richardson will replace current Yaddo President Michael Sundell, who will be retiring. Mr. Rice said, “The genius of Mike Sundell’s Presidency of Yaddo over the past eight years has many facets. During his tenure, he has thoughtfully and intuitively interpreted Yaddo’s mission, identifying and preserving core principles, but also skillfully taking Yaddo in some new directions. He has been a credible and sympathetic force and presence for over 1,500 artists who have been guests on his watch.” “I couldn’t be more pleased about the selection of Elaina Richardson as Yaddo’s next President,” said retiring President Michael Sundell. “Elaina brings to the position great generosity of spirit, useful practical experience, and—most importantly—an informed love of the arts. She knows many artists personally, and she understands the conditions they need to work at their best. She seems to me exactly the right person to build on what we have accomplished here in recent years and lead Yaddo into its second century.” Incorporated in 1900 by Spencer and Katrina Trask, Yaddo, based in Saratoga Springs, New York, provides professional creative artists the opportunity to work without interruption in a supportive community. Guests have included such notable men and women as Milton Avery, James Baldwin, Leonard Bernstein, Elizabeth Bishop, Paul Bowles, Truman Capote, John Cheever, Aaron Copland, Philip Guston, Patricia Highsmith, Ulysses Kay, Carson McCullers, Langston Hughes, Sylvia Plath, Katherine Anne Porter, Clyfford Still, Virgil Thomson, and William Carlos Williams. Collectively, Yaddo artists have been awarded 53 Pulitzer Prizes, 52 National Book Awards, a Nobel Prize, three Academy Awards, and many other important honors. An institution that provides professional artists with a supportive environment and uninterrupted time to think, experiment and create, Yaddo offers residencies from two weeks to two months in choreography, film, literature, musical composition, painting, performance art, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and video. Residents are chosen by panels of their peers without regard to fashion, commerce, or personal means. While the work made at Yaddo reflects contemporary sensibilities, styles, and forms, the fundamental mission that sustains this achievement remains constant. Yaddo celebrates its Centennial in 2000 with a major arts festival, a benefit, and other related activities including the drive to complete its Centennial endowment campaign. The Yaddo Centennial Arts Festival, which begins this month, will be the focal point of the year and will include concerts, readings, art exhibitions, film screenings and other notable public events in New York City and the Saratoga Springs region. For more information about Yaddo and its Centennial Arts Festival, please visit the Yaddo web site at http://yaddo.org and the Art And Culture web site at http://www.artandculture.com. ###
Contact: Lesley Leduc Public Affairs Coordinator Telephone: (518) 584-0746 Fax: (518) 584-1312 E-mail: lleduc@yaddo.org |
