Since joining the Brown Arts Institute in 2020, Avery Willis Hoffman braved COVID-19, shepherded the creation of the Lindemann Performing Arts Center and taught numerous courses. She has now decided to leave College Hill.
While Hoffman said she couldn’t share her next steps, she is “looking forward to some new opportunities on the horizon.”
Throughout her career, Hoffman has worked as a creative producer, curator and artistic director, creating various programming and cultural events for organizations including Park Avenue Armory in New York and The Smithsonian.
As BAI’s inaugural artistic director, Hoffman was charged with helping lead the institute in anticipation of the opening of the Lindemann.
“My mandate from the President was really to think about ways to uplift art-making on campus and to think about ways to program this new space,” Hoffman said. “In my role, I often say that I’m a creative doula. It’s matchmaking,” she said, referring to her responsibility to find visiting artists to bring to campus.
Hoffman’s responsibilities also included mentoring and teaching students.
In her time at Brown, Hoffman taught multiple classes associated with BAI, including Artists@Work, Arts Leadership and Arts Crew. The classes allowed students to interact with visiting artists and learn to work in artistic fields.
According to Hoffman, one of the most exciting aspects of her role was thinking about the “Brown Arts ecosystem.”
“It has visual art, all the different kinds of artistic disciplines, but it also has folks in conversation. It has interdepartmental partnerships,” she said, citing collaborations such as the BAI’s ongoing film series with the School of Public Health and the IGNITE series.
Hoffman also said that her tenure as artistic director taught her something important: patience.
“It really takes time to not just build the infrastructure, but then the next step is to work within that infrastructure,” she said, referring to the building and establishment of the Lindemann. “You need to test that infrastructure and you need to evolve.”
Her other primary challenge in the role was establishing a new organization within a storied university.
“That kind of startup, entrepreneurial spirit, that energy, you have to do a lot to navigate between that kind of startup mentality and the kind of structure of Brown that has served the campus for a very long time,” she said.
Sydney Skybetter, faculty director of the BAI and associate professor of theatre arts and performance studies, expressed his gratitude for Hoffman and her time at Brown.
“Her curatorial excellence set a standard for the kinds of art brought to campus, and the ways we endeavor to support artists worldwide,” he wrote.
With Hoffman stepping down, Skybetter sees this time as an opportunity to reflect on both the institute’s successes and challenges. “I’m eager for us to have a little space to learn from the experience, and proactively consider what comes next,” he added.
BAI will not be hiring another artistic director immediately, according to Skybetter.
Despite her decision to step down, Hoffman feels optimistic about the future of BAI. Skybetter also sees a bright future for the institute.
“There’s much to look forward to,” Skybetter said. “I can’t wait to share out all we’ve been working on.”
“My hope is that the support system that we put in place will continue, that there will be extraordinary programs and projects brought to the Lindemann and to Granoff,” Hoffman said, “and that the arts will continue to be honored and uplifted and funded and supported in the ways that we began to do over the last couple years.”
Cate Latimer is a senior staff writer covering faculty and higher education. She is from Portland, OR, and studies English and Urban Studies. In her free time, you can find her playing ultimate frisbee or rewatching episodes of Parks and Rec.
