The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced that acting director of design Jen Hughes has been named the organization’s new director of design and creative placemaking. The NEA supports these fields through project-based grant programs such as Art Works and Our Town placemaking grants, which support knowledge-building or projects within communities. The NEA also partners with the United States Conference of Mayors on the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Project for Public Spaces, and the Orton Family Foundation on the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design.
Hughes, who joined the NEA in 2011, will manage these grants and programs. “Every day, I come to work inspired by the designers and creative placemakers who are making a positive difference, and pushing the fields to new frontiers,” Hughes said in a press release. “In this new role, I am committed to supporting their aspirations and the cities, towns, and tribal communities that are tapping design, arts, and culture to shape their future.”
