Kent Devereaux named NH Institute of Art President

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Screen Shot 2014-11-26 at 11.56.50 AMMANCHESTER, NH – The New Hampshire Institute of Art (Institute) Board of Trustees has unanimously selected Kent Devereaux as its next president. Devereaux, who currently serves as Professor and Chair of the Music Department at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington, will begin his tenure in January 2015.

“The Search Committee strongly believes that we picked the right candidate at the right time for the Institute. Kent has a tremendous artistic background, has proven over his career that he can get things done, and demonstrated during the interview process that he possesses the leadership skills we need now to position the Institute for future growth and artistic excellence,” said Howard Brodsky, chair of the Presidential Search Committee and member of the NHIA Board of Trustees.

Devereaux brings a wealth of experience in the arts, higher education, and technology to his new position at the Institute. He joined Cornish College in 2008 and in addition to his role chairing the Music Department, he serves as Artistic Director for the College’s presenting series, Cornish Presents, and as Festival Director for the youth jazz festival he co-founded, the Seattle Jazz Experience. Prior to joining Cornish, Devereaux served as Senior Vice President and Dean of Curriculum for Kaplan University. As Senior Vice President of Editorial and Product Development at Encyclopaedia Britannica he was instrumental in the transformation of that storied educational publisher from a print to online business. He also taught for many years at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and California Institute of the Arts.

“I see an amazing array of opportunities for the New Hampshire Institute of Art. I am very excited to engage with the students, faculty and staff and the Manchester community to fashion a vision and strategy that can guide the Institute for years to come,” Devereaux said. “I am very thankful to the search committee and board for this fantastic opportunity.”

The search process began in early January following the late 2013 retirement of Roger Williams, long time president of the Institute. The search committee’s criteria for the next leader included: building a culture and community of transparent communication and celebration; fostering academic distinction; advancing partnerships to leverage visibility and reputation; building enrollment and retention strategies to enhance the student experience; maintaining fiscal stability; solidifying the Institute’s brand and marketing strategies; enhancing and extending the Institute’s reputation in New Hampshire and beyond.

As a composer and director, Devereaux’s own work includes collaborations with artists from around the world and performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, the Walker Arts Center, and elsewhere. He studied music composition with Lou Harrison and Gordon Mumma while attending the University of California at Santa Cruz, and with Anthony Braxton and Art Lande at Cornish, where he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He earned his Master in Fine Arts degree with a focus on visual art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He also studied computer science at Stanford University. During his career Devereaux has also been the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, and many other foundations.

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About the NH Institute of Art: Established in 1898 as the Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences, the New Hampshire Institute of Art offers Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Arts in Art Education and Master of Fine Arts degrees as well as Certificate and Community Education programs. The Institute’s Sharon Arts Center offers a wide variety of art classes and programs in the school facility in Sharon, NH as well as a Fine Craft Gallery, a Juried Artist Member Gallery, and an Exhibition Gallery in Peterborough, NH.

About this Author

Carol Robidoux

PublisherManchester Ink Link

Longtime NH journalist and publisher of ManchesterInkLink.com. Loves R&B, German beer, and the Queen City!