PRESS RELEASE: 3Arts Names New Executive Director Cat Tager

published: Nov. 20, 2024

CHICAGO’S 3ARTS PROMOTES FROM WITHIN: 

ITS CURRENT DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT & FORMER BOARD CHAIR

CAT TAGER NAMED NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

 

TAGER, A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN, ONLY SECOND DIRECTOR TO HELM THE VITAL NON-PROFIT IN ITS NEARLY 20 YEAR HISTORY OF SUPPORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS IN THE PERFORMING, TEACHING AND VISUAL ARTS

 

3ARTS ALSO ANNOUNCES OPEN POSITIONS IN DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRAMMING 

 

(November 20, 2024) Reflecting its core mission to invest in individual artists in the Chicago area, including women artists, artists of color, and Deaf or disabled artists, the not-for-profit  grantmaking and arts service organization 3Arts proudly announces that Cat Tager (she/her), its current Director of Development and Partnerships, has been promoted to 3Arts Executive Director, effective January 1, 2025.   Tager, a professional musician herself in addition to being a longtime former Board member and veteran arts administrator,succeeds 3Arts Founding Executive Director Esther Grimm who has helmed the vital arts funding organization for 23 years, including through its mission transformation in 2007. Grimm departs this role Dec. 31, 2024, and will serve as Executive Advisor from January through March 2025.   

 

The news was shared today by the 3Arts Board of Directors, led by Chair Katie Dowling, who also announced that a search will begin in January to fill two open positions in the organization: Director of Development and Partnerships (Tager’s current role) and Manager of Programs.  More information on these positions will be available on the 3Arts website in January.

 

Said Dowling: “Upon learning of Esther’s upcoming departure earlier this year, our transition committee spent over six months deliberating about the best next leader for our beloved and vital organization, and how to make this transition in a positive, equitable way reflecting the spirit of 3Arts. We thought deeply about how 3Arts has always advocated for both artist and staff growth and advancement as a way to uplift the field, build leadership with care, and support the sustainability of our sector. Acknowledging that we have a great staff member who is poised for the next step led us to prioritize the exploration of internal succession, and the Board enthusiastically approved the promotion of Cat Tager into the role of Executive Director.  As a leader whose lived experience reflects our mission, we are so energized by what lies ahead under Cat’s stewardship.” 

 

“It is an honor and a privilege to take on the role of Executive Director at 3Arts. Having had the opportunity to serve both on the board and as part of the staff, I’ve had a front-row seat to watch as Esther has led us with such unparalleled vision, and with such love for the passion and creativity of this city's artists. She leaves this organization and its community in a unique position of stability and opportunity. I could not be more excited to take up her mantle and carry that legacy forward,” Tager shared. “I share the love for this community, for its imagination, for its potential, and for its mutuality of spirit and respect - and where there's love, there should be action. So, I’m energized by this wonderful challenge to lead 3Arts into its next chapter, to help support and foster Chicago's artists in making great work and forging greater connections.”

 

Tager is a veteran arts administrator, musician, and educator with a background in program development, management training, non-profit finance and accounting, and marketing strategy. As the Director of Development & Partnerships for 3Arts, she spearheads all fundraising efforts, including institutional giving, major gifts, sponsorships, and the annual 3Arts Awards Celebration.

 

She joined the 3Arts staff in 2022 following ten years of dedicated service on the 3Arts Board of Directors, during which she held the position of Board Chair from 2017 to 2022. Before joining 3Arts, Tager held multiple roles at the Old Town School of Folk Music, starting in 2002 as the Human Resources Director and later as Finance Director, overseeing the budget and annual audits for the organization. After completing her MBA, she transitioned into a role as the School's Marketing Director where she oversaw the re-branding initiative and focused the School's marketing efforts around the expansion of its Lincoln Square campus. In 2019, she took on the Associate Director of Education role, successfully leading the School’s education programs into and out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tager holds a bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College, and an MBA from Loyola University.  She is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, a recording artist who serves as a voting member of the Recording Academy, as well as an avid pie baker and caregiver.

                  

Added Grimm: “I echo the 3Arts Board’s excitement and couldn’t be more supportive of Cat’s promotion to Executive Director.  Her familiarity with and passion for 3Arts and the Chicago arts community are unmatched and will serve her well as she takes 3Arts to the next level of organizational maturity envisioned in our strategic plan.  As I move on to explore my own next chapter in the arts, I am grateful for the opportunities 3Arts has always given me to spread my wings, imagine our organization into being and into its future, and plant deep roots through artist-centered programming. Working closely with, and on behalf of, Chicago artists has fueled my life’s purpose just as much as 3Arts has fueled theirs. What a beautiful ride this has been!”

 

About 3Arts   

3Arts is the contemporary reinvention of The Three Arts Club of Chicago, an organization founded in 1912 by social activist Jane Addams and more than 30 other female civic leaders who wanted to change the composition of the male-dominated art world by encouraging women to pursue careers in the arts—eight years before women had the right to vote. One of eight clubs spanning Europe and the United States, the Chicago branch was the last survivor of the network by the early 1950s. Over time, the local club evolved into an alternative dormitory serving downtown art schools and providing scholarships for nearly 25 years.  In 2006, after a plan to restore and renovate the building proved beyond its resources, the Board of Directors made the tough decision to sell the property in order to preserve and contemporize the organization. By February 2007, the property was sold, and the net proceeds were invested in an operating fund to seed and grow the organization’s new purpose. Today’s 3Arts is a nonprofit organization that supports artists working in the performing, teaching, and visual arts in the Chicago metropolitan area, including women artists, artists of color, and Deaf or disabled artists. By providing unrestricted awards, project funding, residencies, professional development, and promotion, 3Arts expands on its original mission and helps artists take risks, experiment, and build momentum in their careers over time.

 

For more information about 3Arts, please visit www.3arts.org.

 

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Contact: Beth Silverman/Katy O’Malley

The Silverman Group, Inc.

Beth@silvermangroupchicago.com / Katy@silvermangroupchicago.com

312-560-4783 (Beth)