From New York City to Columbus, Adam Flatto is ready to bring energy to Ohio State’s Wexner Center for the Arts on the Wexer Center Foundation Board.
Although new to the Wexner Center, Flatto is no stranger to the art world. He is currently serving as vice chair of the Park Avenue Armory, a cultural institution in New York City, and has previous board experience with the International Center of Photography.
“The Wexner Center is fascinating. Like the Armory, it’s one of the few art institutions in the country that covers multiple disciplines,” Flatto said.
Both the Wexner Center and the Park Avenue Armory encompass multidisciplinary exhibitions in visual and performing arts. The Armory was established in 2007, and Flatto said as a young arts institution it has hopes of expanding its already extensive exhibition lineup.
“As a contemporary art institution, we always have our eye on the Park Avenue Armory,” said Karen Simonian, spokeswoman for the Wexner Center.
Although Flatto has no direct ties to OSU he has worked on Central Ohio projects such as the Easton Town Center development and development in New Albany, Ohio, while working for The Georgetown Company, a privately held real estate investment and development company.
Flatto said the vision and support of Les Wexner, former OSU Board of Trustees chairman who donated $100 million to the university in 2011, and his wife, Abigail Wexner, has “put Columbus on the map” as a destination for culture and sophistication.
“Columbus is very fortunate to have somewhere like the Wexner Center,” Flatto said.
The Wexner Center Foundation is a private partner of OSU’s Board of Trustees created to represent the interests of the Wexner Center for the Arts, according to a university press release. OSU does not pay its trustees, Simonian said. The appointment was announced on Oct. 30.
Flatto described himself as “new on the scene” and said becoming a trustee “is a function of learning more about the institution.”
Simonian said Flatto’s connection to former trustee Marshall Rose, CEO and chairman of The Georgetown Company, where Flatto is currently president, and a strong appreciation for the arts led to his board inclusion.
“We are grateful for Marshall’s decade-plus of outstanding service to the board, and thrilled that Adam is joining us,” Les Wexner said in the press release.
Simonian said Flatto’s young and energetic nature will bring something new to the board.
The role of a trustee is multifaceted, Simonian said. While financial support is appreciated, trustees also contribute relationships and have an eye on advancement. Trustees are also expected to attend meetings in Columbus three times a year and are encouraged to enjoy the exhibitions.
“I’ve known Adam for years through his work in Columbus,” said Bruce Soll, senior vice president and counsel of Limited Brands and ex officio on the Wexner Center Foundation board, in an email. “And I’m certain he will prove to be an energetic voice from the front lines of contemporary art in New York.”