Mid-America Arts Alliance Announces New Director to Serve Nonprofit Arts Organizations

Mid-America Arts Alliance is delighted to announce the promotion of Carris Adams to the position of director of organizational services.

Carris, who has been an invaluable member of the M-AAA team since joining as a professional development specialist in 2021, will now lead the M-AAA’s capacity-building and technical assistance efforts for nonprofit arts organizations, including such M-AAA programs as ARt Connect, Engage, and Essentials as well as ArtsHERE, a national collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts, South Arts, and the other Regional Arts Organizations (RAOs).

We are honored to have her insights and leadership as part of M-AAA’s senior management team. 

With a distinguished career in organizational services and professional development, Carris brings a wealth of arts and nonprofit experience. In her previous role at Mid-America Arts Alliance, Carris was instrumental in the development of programs designed to support organizational capacity for community arts and culture groups throughout the region. Her work with Engage—a community-centered professional and organizational development program—supported leadership training of arts professionals throughout our region.

In her new position as director of organizational services, Carris will lead M-AAA’s strategic efforts to support and strengthen arts organizations in their missions to serve their artists and their communities. She will expand M-AAA’s current programs supporting arts organizations and develop relevant and impactful programs that will help advance and amplify their work. Her role will lead efforts for M-AAA organizational programmatic improvement and expansion, including collaborations with the RAOs.

Nationally, she will apply her knowledge with ArtsHERE, leading the design and implementation of professional development programming for nationwide grantees. This includes monthly meetings with a professional development coach, quarterly workshops with topic-based experts, and more.

Carris Adams (center) with Essentials program speakers and participants in Lubbock, Texas, May 2024.

Carris’s extensive experience also includes her previous work as Engage program liaison where she provided primary support to the director and consultants, managed program workshops, expanded program outreach, and led research in the field. Her ability to foster and maintain partnerships with local art organizations and neighborhood initiatives, as demonstrated during her previous roles at Rebuild Foundation and others, will be invaluable in her new role.

Carris holds a master of fine arts in studio art from the University of Chicago and a bachelor of fine arts in drawing and painting from the University of Texas. She served as faculty in the painting department at the University of Arkansas. She’s a sought after consultant that has given lectures, taught workshops, and participated in residencies across the country.

“Over the years, Carris has demonstrated remarkable leadership for our organization. She has built strong, trust-based relationships with our partners and has been instrumental in fostering collaboration across various arts communities and particularly through her involvement in our Regional Arts Organization initiatives,” says Todd Stein, president and CEO of Mid-America Arts Alliance.  In her new role as a part of the senior leadership team, I look forward to seeing her continued impact with arts communities, both regionally and nationally.”

“I am honored to step into the role of director of organizational services at Mid-America Arts Alliance,” says Carris Adams. “It has been a privilege to grow with this incredible team and work with arts leaders throughout our region. I am excited for the opportunity to continue to support and amplify the voices of arts leaders, artists, and communities—driving innovation, collaboration, and leadership in the arts.”

Carris began her new role on June 10. We invite you to join us in congratulating her on this well-deserved promotion.

Related:

Read NPR’s story about ArtsHERE by Chloe Veltman: Applications are now open for NEA grants to fund the arts in underserved communities