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Museum of Arts and Design Announces New Trustees and Treasurer

Andi Potamkin Blackmore and Simon Bolton Elected New Trustees

Michael Dweck Named Treasurer

New York, NY (January 13, 2017)

The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) announced today the appointment of two new Trustees: Andi Potamkin Blackmore and Simon Bolton. The Board of Trustees also named current Finance Committee Chair Michael Dweck Treasurer. The election took place at the December 8, 2016, board meeting.

“The Board is thrilled to welcome new Trustees Andi Potamkin Blackmore and Simon Bolton, both of whom have made MAD a philanthropic priority,” said Michele Cohen, Chair of the Board. “Their demonstrated commitment to the fields of art and design and their audiences will support the Museum’s mission and visibility efforts.”

In Dweck’s expanded role as Treasurer, “his financial expertise, leadership skills, and strategic acumen will serve him well in guiding the Museum in the next phase of its growth,” said Cohen. “We look forward to working with all three in their new roles.”

Andi Potamkin Blackmore was elected Trustee in December 2016. A passionate champion of the arts, Potamkin Blackmore is the founder of Le Mise, a Brooklyn-based art and design advisory firm, as well as Three Squares Studio, a hair salon and art gallery in Manhattan, where she currently serves as Creative Director. She also works for the Potamkin Automotive Group, founded by her grandfather, Victor Potamkin, in 1954. Previously, she was the Potamkin in Kasher|Potamkin, a gallery and boutique in Chelsea. Potamkin Blackmore writes about art, design, well-being, and philosophy for publications including L’Oeil de la Photographie and 1stdibs and publishers including Glitterati Incorporated. An avid collector of fashion, whose style has been covered internationally in Vogue, W, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar, she is a graduate of New York University with degrees in Set Design and Philosophy and a minor in Mythology.

Simon Bolton was elected Trustee in December 2016. Bolton is the Chief Executive Officer of Group XP, a unique collective of brand and design agencies that puts brand experience at the heart of its offer. He previously spent 14 years with Ogilvy & Mather, based in London, Bangkok, and New York; he counts working with Annie Leibovitz on American Express “portraits” and winning the David Ogilvy campaign award for Air Canada as highlights of his tenure. Bolton then spent six years with FCB, splitting his time between Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and San Francisco, before entering the branding and design industry, leading Brand Union’s Worldwide network for the advertising and public relations group WPP. The recipient of a BA in History and Philosophy and a CAM Diploma in Communications, Bolton is a Fellow of the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising). He is also a former British “Spoof” Champion and a qualified Divemaster.

Michael Dweck was elected Trustee in 2014; Chair of the Finance Committee in July 2016; and Treasurer in December. Formerly the Chair of the Audit Committee, he currently serves on the Exhibitions, Investment, and Executive Committees. Dweck is retired from a 28-year career in finance, having most recently spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs, where he advised some of the wealthiest families in America on issues surrounding their risk of holding concentrated stock positions. He was also responsible for the firm’s equity derivatives and structured products businesses. In addition to his roles at MAD, Dweck previously served on the National Board of Girls Inc., the oldest organization in America solely dedicated to helping young girls reach their fullest potential, and is now on the Board of The Play Company, which brings international playwrights from around the world to the New York stage. He also serves on the Board of Governors of Metropolis Country Club. Dweck holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and an Executive MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business. He is an avid photographer, and his collecting interests include vintage wristwatches, air-cooled Porsches, and photography.

The following is a complete list of the officers of the Museum of Arts and Design Board of Trustees, elected December 8, 2016:

Chair Michele Cohen

Chairman Emeritus Jerome A. Chazen

Chairman Emeritus Lewis Kruger

Chairman Emerita Barbara Tober

Secretary Ann Kaplan

Treasurer Michael Dweck

Trustees
Diego Arria
Dror Benshetrit
Andi Potamkin Blackmore
Simon Bolton
Marian C. Burke
Simona Chazen
Charles S. Cohen
Mike De Paola
Eric Dobkin
Marcia Docter
C. Virginia Fields
Joan Hornig
Michael Jesselson
Nanette L. Laitman
Simone Leigh
Jeffrey Manocherian
Marsy Mittlemann
Laura Taft Paulsen
Linda Plattus
Klara Silverstein
Angela Sun
William S. Taubman
Barbara Waldman

HONORARY
Kay Bucksbaum
Suzanne G. Elson
Sandra Grotta
Jane Korman
Jack Lenor Larsen
Jeanne Levitt
Nancy Marks
Aviva Robinson
Alfred R. Shands III

EX OFFICIO
Malini Shah, Representative for City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN
The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) champions contemporary makers across creative fields and presents the work of artists, designers, and artisans who apply the highest level of ingenuity and skill. Since the Museum's founding in 1956 by philanthropist and visionary Aileen Osborn Webb, MAD has celebrated all facets of making and the creative processes by which materials are transformed, from traditional techniques to cutting-edge technologies. Today, the Museum's curatorial program builds upon a rich history of exhibitions that emphasize a cross-disciplinary approach to art and design, and reveals the workmanship behind the objects and environments that shape our everyday lives. MAD provides an international platform for practitioners who are influencing the direction of cultural production and driving twenty-first-century innovation, and fosters a participatory setting for visitors to have direct encounters with skilled making and compelling works of art and design. The Museum will be celebrating its Diamond Jubilee 60th Anniversary this year.