Richard “Ric” Ambrose has resigned as executive director of Richmond Art Center, the organization announced Wednesday in an email signed by board president Patricia Guthrie.
“Ambrose has played a pivotal role in stabilizing and growing the organization, and we want to thank him for his exceptional service and dedication to our community-focused mission,” the announcement reads.
Ambrose, who’s led the organization since 2012, said in a phone call Thursday that he’ll remain until Friday, Nov. 22 to help find an interim director. “I feel that I’ve accomplished my goals,” he said, noting Richmond Art Center recently completed a five-year strategic plan. “I’m also an artist so I want to spend more time drawing, and I’ll be considering other exciting opportunities.”
The announcement credits Ambrose with expanding Richmond Art Center’s remote and on-site arts education and instruction programs, boosting the budget and attendance and mounting exhibitions by Bay Area artists including Richard Diebenkorn, Joan Brown and David Parker.
A year ago Ambrose also secured a 50-year lease with the City of Richmond for its Civic Center Plaza site. The city contributes 22 percent of Richmond Art Center’s budget, which has grown from approximately $500,000 to $1.6 million since 2012, Ambrose said. The art center offers a range of free programming as well as scholarship opportunities for its studio art classes.
