FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Leah Horn
303.629.1166
leah.horn@westaf.org
Denver, CO, November 13, 2020—The Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) is pleased to announce the election of Christian Gaines to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) board of directors.
As a member of NASAA’s board of directors, Gaines will serve alongside a diverse and accomplished group of arts and cultural leaders from across the country.
“We enthusiastically welcome Christian to the NASAA board,” said NASAA President and CEO Pam Breaux. “He brings a breadth of knowledge, a fierce commitment to serving the public, and genuine passion for the arts. We are eager to work with Christian and we welcome his expertise and guidance.”
Gaines said, “I am proud and humbled to represent the WESTAF organization, and by extension our western region as well as our sister regional arts organizations (RAOs), on the NASAA board.”
A film, arts, and technology leader with experience in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, Gaines held leadership positions at the Sundance Film Festival, the Hawai’i International Film Festival, and the American Film Institute before joining WESTAF as its executive director in January 2019.
For five years, Gaines ran business development at Withoutabox, a film festival submissions platform acquired by IMDb, a division of Amazon, and in 2013, became executive director of ArtPrize, a disruptive international art competition held in Grand Rapids, Michigan. During this time, he served as a council member on the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. Gaines is passionate about bringing opportunities to artists, creating joyful spaces, and inspiring teams to do their best work.
About WESTAF
The Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) is a nonprofit arts service organization dedicated to strengthening the financial, organizational, and policy infrastructure of the arts in the West. WESTAF assists state arts agencies, arts organizations, and artists in their quest to serve diverse audiences, enrich the lives of local communities, and provide access to the arts and arts education for all. Through innovative programming, advocacy, research, technology, and grantmaking, WESTAF encourages the creative advancement and preservation of the arts regionally and through a national network of customers and alliances.
