AICAID moves to R.I., names director

By Rebecca Keister
PBN Staff Writer
Twitter: @keisterpbn

PROVIDENCE – The Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design, an association of art schools in the United States and Canada, has relocated to Providence from San Francisco, Calif. and named Deborah Obalil as its new executive director.

The school announced the decision on Tuesday.

Previously, Obalil was executive director of the Alliance of Artists Communities in Providence and owner of Obalil & Associates, a boutique arts management consulting firm.

“I am honored and delighted to lead AICAD,” Obalil said in a statement. “I look forward to expanding our key programmatic initiatives and delivering new ways of showcasing the value of art and design education across various sectors of the economy.”

AICAD is a consortium of 43 art schools. It was founded in 1991 by 25 art school presidents in order to work together to develop their schools and programs. Member colleges educate more than 50,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

During Obalil’s six-year tenure as executive director of the Alliance of Artists Communities, membership grew by more than 20 percent and its annual budget tripled. She joined AICAD on July 1.

“Deborah joins us with a uniquely strong set of expertise and experiences that will serve very well the collective and individual work of AICAD members,” said Larry Thompson, president, Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Fla., and AICAD board chair, in a statement.