David Fischer moving on after 18 years leading Tacoma Arts Live. Who will replace him?
After 18 years as Tacoma Arts Live’s CEO, David Fischer announced he will be passing the torch at the end of October.
Katie Lappier and Joshua Knudson will jointly lead the nonprofit into the future as the organization continues to develop the Tacoma Armory as a hub for arts, culture and community, Tacoma Arts Live said in a news release Friday.
Fischer was instrumental in reviving the performing-arts scene in Tacoma, leading the restoration of the historic Pantages Theater and pushing for the passage of Tacoma Creates, which today raises more than $6 million annually to support local arts, education, science and heritage programs through a 0.001% sales tax. He led Tacoma Arts Live through three recessions and a global pandemic and with his team raised more than $75 million in support of programmatic and capital improvements in the arts, according to a recent announcement sent to donors.
Lappier most recently served as chief programs officer of Tacoma Arts Live, overseeing Theater Northwest and an education program that serves more than 55,000 annually. She has been producing dance and theater, choreographing, performing and teaching in Western Washington since 2005, according to the news release.
Knudson joined Tacoma Arts Live last year after 25 years in higher education and has worked creatively with the organization since 2018 as a director and actor. He served for 13 years as vice chancellor for advancement at the University of Washington Tacoma, the news release said.
In an interview with The News Tribune on Friday, Fischer said he is planning to stay in Tacoma and would announce his next career move in late October. Fischer said he was pleased the Tacoma Arts Live board selected Lappier and Knudson as his successors.
“One will be taking the lead on artistic, educational and community outreach programming. And the other will be focused on fundraising, marketing and business operations,” he said. “They are two phenomenal people who I’ve known for years, and I’m excited to see them take the leadership. They’re going to do amazing things, and they are supported by one of the smartest and best staff teams I’ve ever seen.”
Today, the arts are more important than ever, Fischer said. It builds empathy and understanding in what otherwise is a world full of differences, he said.
”The arts offer the opportunity for people to step into somebody else’s shoes and see the world through different eyes. And I think it’s always been essential, but now, with as much division as we have, I think it’s even more essential,” he said. “Through that collective process of a community coming together to experience an arts moment, that whole idea of social cohesion, it gets strengthened. And we raise our visibility to the fact that we don’t live in an isolated social media bubble. We actually live in real life, real time with our friends and neighbors, and that’s what happens when we come together for great events.”
This story was originally published September 13, 2024 at 1:38 PM.
