CHARLOTTE COHEN has worked in the public art field for nearly 20 years. In 1996, she became the Director of New York City’s Percent for Art Program, Department of Cultural Affairs. There she commissioned dozens of artists—including Alison Saar, whose Swing Low, a memorial to Harriet Tubman in Harlem was the first public monument to a Black woman in New York City and worked with Mierle Laderman Ukeles on the master plan for Fresh Kills Landfill. She was responsible for developing policy and planning in partnership with many city agencies.
Later, as Fine Arts Officer and Urban Development Manager for the U.S. General Services Administration, Charlotte managed projects in the New York City metropolitan region, across NY State, the Caribbean, and elsewhere, including Robert Mangold’s large-scale stained-glass window project for the U.S. Robert H. Jackson Federal Courthouse in Buffalo, New York. In addition to her work with living artists, she also oversaw the care of the historic Fine Arts Collection in the region.
Charlotte went on to become Executive Director of Brooklyn Arts Council, where she designed and implemented the agenda and vision of Brooklyn’s foremost nonprofit cultural organization supporting artists. She energized the organization’s commitment to equity and diversity in all aspects of programming and staffing and ensured the advancement of forward movement during COVID.
Most recently, as Interim Executive Director at City of Asylum in Pittsburgh, Charlotte worked with writers exiled from their countries of origin and managed the organization’s performing arts programs and a bookstore dedicated to translated and international authors. She ensured the organization’s programmatic, financial, and operational stability during its international leadership search.
Prior to these roles, Charlotte was a Project Director at the Smithsonian Institution’s Traveling Exhibition Service, and Program Director and Curator at Maryland Art Place, a contemporary art center in Baltimore, Maryland. Charlotte has taught at NYU and the School of Visual Arts and serves on the board of CEC ArtsLink.
Contact Information
Email: ccohen@associationforpublicart.org
Phone: 215.546.7550