sharon maidenberg

sharon maidenberg is the executive director and CEO of The Contemporary Austin. Originally from the East Coast, she moved to the Bay Area in 2000 where she worked with some of San Francisco's most notable contemporary arts organizations, including Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Southern Exposure, and New Langton Arts. As executive director at Headlands Center for the Arts, maidenberg supported more than 700 artists through artist residencies and awards, exhibitions, and public programs. During her tenure there she led Headlands through a period of unprecedented organizational growth—more than tripling its budget, doubling its staff, and envisioning and overseeing the creation of The Commons, an outdoor visitor and programmatic space. She also built a strong board of directors, strengthened the institution’s governance practices, cemented its financial health, and launched a new Thematic Residency Program that brings together artists and non-artists to tackle some of the most pressing issues of our times. Her focus remains on artist-centered, trans-disciplinary programming. maidenberg served as a Center panel chair for Pew Fellowships in 2021 and 2020.