Raleigh’s Contemporary Art Museum has new leaders after the Contemporary Art Foundation Board of Directors and its N.C. State partners decided to pursue new goals. 

A March 8 press release stated the Board, along with Marvin Malecha, dean of the College of Design, “decided to move into new areas of development requiring new leadership.” Elysia Borowy-Reeder has left the position of executive director of the museum after nearly two years of service since the museum opened in the spring of 2011. 

CAM is a joint effort between N.C. State’s College of Design and the Contemporary Art Foundation. The partners’ mission is to creatively display contemporary pieces of art from a variety of artists to reflect the ever changing world that inspired the pieces. 

“The Contemporary Art Museum Project for the College of Design is very important … in terms of the way it allows us to extend the activities of this college out into the community,” Malecha said in a video on the museum website. 

During this period of transition, Kate Shafer has stepped in to serve as interim director. Shafer has experience in leadership with CAM, serving as gallery and exhibitions manager and curating 16 exhibitions since 2011 with nationally recognized artists. She also managed the renovations that transformed a warehouse into CAM Raleigh’s current facility.

The museum also announced two new development team members. Marjorie Hodges was named the new director of the Contemporary Art Foundation of CAM Raleigh. Hodges’ work will be centered on fundraising and donor relations.

In addition, Gab Smith has been named the new director of advancement and membership engagement. Smith is a NCSU graduate who has worked in the museum world for more than a decade. She aims to use new programs to acquire grants and grow a relationship between CAM and the Raleigh community.

CAM Raleigh has many education programs designed for a wide range of age groups. After school, weekend and summer workshops are offered to middle and high school students to develop their creative potential. Throughout each month, CAM Raleigh has events open to the community to display its latest pieces and encourage a growing relationship with the contemporary art world.