Press Room

New York, NY (October 22, 2020)

The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) announces the appointment of Terry Skoda as Interim Director, effective immediately, and the election of two new members to its Board of Trustees—art collector and entrepreneur Lorin Gu and art enthusiast and philanthropist Alexander Mason Hankin.

“We are grateful to have the benefit of Terry’s leadership during this time of transition. With a demonstrated talent for attracting audiences who are passionate about the Museum’s mission, Terry is a champion of MAD whose achievements have been critical to the long-term viability of our institution,” said Michele Cohen, Chair, Board of Trustees. “Also, we are thrilled to welcome Lorin and Alexander as new Trustees. Introduced to MAD by Terry, both are young, dynamic philanthropists who have now stepped forward to be a part of the Museum’s next chapter.”

Since joining the Museum in January 2019 as the Barbara Tober Deputy Director for Institutional Advancement, Skoda has helped spearhead an Endowment Campaign, raising $22 million; secured $10 million in annual operating funds; strengthened the Museum’s financial position; built a thriving Patrons and Young Patrons program, attracting seasoned and new philanthropists to the MAD community; and acquired emergency funding through government sources and foundation grants during the COVID-19 shutdown.

“The confidence of the Board of Trustees and the overwhelming support of my MAD colleagues are invaluable to me. I am honored and energized to have been selected for this opportunity,” said Skoda. “The MAD community is the finest group of people I have had the pleasure of working with in my career, and I know that together we will rise to success.”

Skoda joined MAD after fifteen years at The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), where he served as Executive Vice President for External Affairs. While at NYBG, he oversaw a three-year, $200 million comprehensive fundraising campaign, which included a one-year, $30 million endowment component. Also, during Skoda’s time at NYBG, he helped realize several acclaimed exhibitions that combined art and nature, including CHIHULY; Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life; and Georgia O’Keeffe: Visions of Hawai’i.

Prior to joining NYBG, Skoda spent several years at Ahold, a global grocery retailer, as part of the team that transformed the traditional retail environment into the interactive, digital experience it is today. He holds a Master’s in Media Studies from The New School and a Bachelor’s in Communications from Pennsylvania State University.

Gu is a fine art equity and accessibility builder as founder of Recharge Capital and Recharge Foundation. Recharge Foundation democratizes fine art access for underrepresented artists (women, ethnic minorities, and those from emerging countries) through investments, incubation, and modern visibility with traveling exhibitions and anchored shows to ensure sociopolitical parity. Gu is also a board member of the New York Foundation for the Arts and Founding Chair at the Peterson Institute for International Economics’ Global Future Council. He received his AB/SM degrees in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University.

“Philanthropy is critical to the advancement of art, especially art education and the practices of emerging artists. MAD recognizes these pillars and makes them a priority, and it is because of this that I decided to lend my time and efforts to helping MAD,” said Gu. 

Hankin is a Philadelphia-based art enthusiast and philanthropist, as well as a third-generation real estate developer at Hankin Management Company. He works alongside his father and sister, leasing and managing their individual buildings, as well as operating as a single-family home builder in Bucks County, PA. He has a JD from Rutgers Law School and is currently enrolled in the Robert Traurig-Greenberg Traurig LL.M in Real Property Development program at the University of Miami School of Law.

“I have been committed to MAD since the day I met Terry and he convinced me that this Museum is like no other,” said Hankin. “It offers a home to all art lovers no matter their background. MAD is committed to fostering the next generation of creatives. It is because of this that I gladly accepted the invitation to join the Board.”

Hankin’s passion for the arts has led him to take an active role in major art institutions as well as being an art columnist for Philadelphia Style Magazine. He helped launch and co-chairs the MAD Luminaries group at the Museum of Arts and Design. Hankin is also Chair Emeritus of the Young Friends of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a member of the Board of Directors of Opera Philadelphia and sits on the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Contemporaries Committee and the London-based Serpentine’s Future Contemporaries Committee.

He also is actively involved in the Guggenheim Young Acquisitions Committee and is the Vice Chair of Social Media for the Jewish National Funds JNFuture group. Additionally, Hankin created and chairs THE NEXT at the Aspen Art Museum, a unique après-ski fundraiser.  He is always looking for new and innovative ways to engage people in the art world.

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. For more information, visit madmuseum.org.

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Image from left to right: Terry Skoda, Interim Director; Lorin Gu, Trustee; and Alexander Mason Hankin, Trustee.