SPACE On Ryder Farm Appoints Kelly M. Burdick As Executive Director

Press release from SPACE:

Dec. 12, 2022

The Board of Directors of SPACE on Ryder Farm is thrilled to announce the appointment of Kelly M. Burdick as Executive Director of the treasured Hudson Valley-based arts organization.

SPACE on Ryder Farm is a nonprofit residency program and organic farm located on the ancestral land of the Wappinger people in modern day Putnam County, New York on the grounds of a 227-year-old family homestead. SPACE’s mission is to create an environment singular in its ability to invigorate artists and innovators and their work, and to contribute to the sustainability and resourceful preservation of one of the oldest organic family farms on the East Coast.

As only the second ED of SPACE, Burdick joins an organization established for artists by artists with a simple philosophy: artists need time and space to do what they do best—create. Since its founding in 2011, thousands of artists, innovators, and changemakers have come to SPACE to do their most important work. “Building on the visionary work of our Founding Executive Director, Emily Simoness, Kelly is adeptly positioned to shape this new chapter for SPACE, steeped in the needs of our artistic community and furthering our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice,” noted Board and Search Committee Chair Janet Olshansky.

“I am truly excited for SPACE under the leadership of Kelly Burdick,” said board member and playwright Mfoniso Udofia. “Her passionate leadership style and her understanding of the need of a 'communal table' is exactly what is needed at SPACE, and I can't wait to see how SPACE and SPACE artists will grow under her stewardship!”

With more than 20 years of experience as a performing arts administrator, Burdick brings broad-range experience in development, communications, and organizational structure to the role of ED. Most recently, she was a key member of the leadership team that brought the American Shakespeare Center through the pandemic and into a new collaborative management structure. She was a proud member of the team that brought the Classical Theatre of Harlem out of debt and cemented Uptown Shakespeare in the Park’s long-term residency in Marcus Garvey Park. Prior to that, she worked at the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone creating and implementing large-scale capacity building grants for arts organizations in Harlem, Washington Heights, and Inwood.

Ms. Burdick holds an MFA from Columbia University and a citation from the New York City Council for Outstanding Service to the City for her work with the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance. In 2020, Burdick earned her certificate in plant medicine from Iwilla Remedy.

“I am thrilled to join the team at SPACE,” said Burdick. “From the moment I stepped on to the fertile soil of Ryder Farm, I could feel the creative energy permeating the grounds and buildings. It is an honor to be invited to work with the dedicated staff and steadfast Board of Directors to bring SPACE into its next phase. I’m excited to see what we can grow, together.”

Burdick was selected after a national search, conducted by the New York-based Tom O’Connor Consulting Group. "Kelly Burdick is an extraordinary arts leader with an inspiring track record of work in arts organizations large and small,” noted board member and five-time resident at SPACE Madeleine George, who was part of a seven-member search committee made up of board members, staff, and alumni artists. “She has guided legacy organizations through transitions with a sure and steady hand, and she has built up infrastructure in newer organizations where there was none. She also brings with her to SPACE a background as a working artist, an expertise in plant medicine, and a lifelong relationship to family farming. For all these reasons and more, we couldn't be more thrilled to be welcoming Kelly to the Farm. She's uniquely positioned to carry forward SPACE's one-of-a-kind vision, and we're so excited to support her as she grows and inflects that vision with her own passions, commitments, and ideas."

This press release was produced by SPACE. The views expressed here are the author's own.