After more than a quarter century leading the Schweinfurth Memorial Arts Center, Executive Director Donna Lamb is preparing to retire later this year, leaving behind a legacy of growth, innovation, and regional arts leadership.
In an interview with Guy Cosentino on Beyond the Front Page, Lamb reflected on her tenure and the transformative $3.4 million West End Arts Campus project, which is set for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 2.
The Schweinfurth Memorial Arts Center, founded in 1981, has evolved into a leading visual arts institution in Central New York. Supported by government grants, foundation funding, individual donations, and program income, the center serves about 16,000 visitors annually, with that number still recovering from COVID-19 impacts.
The West End Arts Campus, a collaboration between the Schweinfurth and the neighboring Cayuga Museum of History and Art, features new accessible entrances, expanded parking access, improved galleries, and enhanced connectivity between the institutions. The project was funded through a combination of New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) funds, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) support, and significant contributions from local foundations.
“This project finally solves a decades-old challenge for the center: providing a direct entrance from the parking lot,” Lamb said, crediting the DRI opportunity for making long-needed upgrades possible.
Lamb also discussed the center’s popular programs, including Made in New York, an annual juried exhibition of state artists; Both Ends of the Rainbow, showcasing art from schoolchildren and senior citizens; and Quilts=Art=Quilts, an internationally recognized juried quilt exhibition.
The center’s educational programming remains robust, offering summer art camps for children and year-round classes for all ages. Quilting by the Lake, a nationally recognized quilting conference, continues to be a major revenue stream, drawing over 250 participants each summer to Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
While Lamb has no immediate plans beyond her retirement this summer, she said she may return to quilting, a passion she shares with her mother. A search committee, supported by a consultant, is working to find her successor, with hopes of a smooth transition.
Reflecting on her accomplishments, Lamb highlighted the physical transformation of the center and its elevated profile in the regional arts community.
“I hope my legacy will be a track record of really great, high-quality exhibitions and inspiring people to get their hands dirty and make art,” she said.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].