Martha Richards, Executive Director
Martha Richards is the Founder and Executive Director of WomenArts, formerly known as The Fund for Women Artists. Prior to WomenArts, Richards served as Executive Director of Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College and as Managing Director of StageWest, a regional theatre in Springfield, Massachusetts. She writes and lectures frequently on arts and cultural policy issues.
Richards has been frequently recognized for her commitment to women and to the arts. In April 2006 she was one of three U.S. nominees (with Quincy Jones and Wynton Marsalis) for the prestigious international Montblanc De La Culture Award for outstanding service to the arts. In April 2009 she was inducted into the BayPath College 21st Century Women Business Leaders Hall of Fame for her work in philanthropy. She has been honored as one of three “founding mothers” of the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts.
Richards has a B.A. in Economics from the University of California Berkeley and a J.D. from the University of California Hastings College of Law. She is a member of the California bar, and she was one of the founding directors of California Lawyers for the Arts. See her complete resume>>
Arlene Goldbard, Special Consultant for Harmony: The WomenArts Cultural Partnerships Project
Arlene Goldbard is a writer, social activist, and consultant. She is working with Executive Director Martha Richards to develop Harmony: The WomenArts Cultural Partnerships Project. Her essays have appeared in such journals as Art in America, The Independent, Theatre, High Performance and Tikkun. Her books include Crossroads: Reflections on the Politics of Culture; New Creative Community: The Art of Cultural Development; Community, Culture and Globalization; and her novel Clarity.
She is President of the Board of Directors of The Shalom Center. She has served as Vice Chair of the Board of ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal, and Tsofah/President of Congregation Eitz Or in Seattle. She co-founded such activist groups as the San Francisco Artworkers, the California Visual Artists Alliance, Bay Area Lawyers for the Arts and Draft Help.
For more information, please visit www.ArleneGoldbard.com.