Welcoming Our New Interim Executive Director
June 23, 2023
Mendocino Art Center is pleased to welcome our new Interim Executive Director, Seth Charles. Seth joined MAC in 2022 as the Ceramics & Artist in Residence (AIRs) Coordinator and was named in June 2023 by the Board to lead MAC forward with its Strategic & Business Planning for 2024-2025 while keeping current programs on track. Seth holds a BFA from The University of North Florida and a MFA degree from Central Washington University. He has been a professor of visual art at State College of Florida and Central Washington University and has lectured and led workshops around the country. His work has been shown in numerous national and international exhibitions and is held in public and private collections. His creative work, teaching, and administrative experience have already attracted new students to several classes. Seth is a resident of Mendocino, and welcomes members of the community to come see him at the MAC. For more information, visit his website: sethcharles.com
"I am honored to have the opportunity to help lead the Mendocino Art Center which has long served as the cornerstone of our local arts community on the North Coast and beyond. It empowers me to bring my non-profit leadership experience to this role as we work towards our goals of continued growth and sustainability while continuing to expand as an inclusive community gathering space. MAC truly is the place where art happens." - Seth Charles
Seth succeeds Martin Betz, Interim Executive Director from 2022 - 2023, who has returned to his home in Southern California to become Executive Director of the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art in Claremont California. Martin’s leadership at the Mendocino Art Center helped craft a new direction in the post-COVID world. He worked with the staff through a necessary downsizing, and created a team of dedicated people, including Seth Charles, who are now keeping the MAC’s ongoing programming alive and helping to ensure its future.
As MAC navigates the post-pandemic changes it has been making, responding to more than a year of community listening and planning, the board is grateful for the leadership of Martin Betz and now of Seth Charles. The Interim ED role provides MAC onsite leadership until the Board can conduct a full search for a permanent ED. The Board is grateful to the community, and to the Community Advisory Council, for their continued support of MAC's planning and transition.