(New York, New York) — The American Folk Art Museum (AFAM) Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the election of Gill Holland and Edward J. Shapiro. The election took place at the December Board meeting.
“We are delighted to welcome Gill and Ed to the board,” said Board President Elizabeth V. Warren. “They each bring diverse perspectives and varied experiences that will help strengthen the Museum in the years ahead.”
The Museum’s Becky and Bob Alexander Director & CEO Jason T. Busch added: “Gill and Ed are an excellent addition to our national Board of Trustees. Their demonstrated knowledge and enthusiasm for folk and self-taught artists will undoubtedly further the Museum’s mission.”
Gill Holland is real estate developer and filmmaker who owns and operates The Group Entertainment LLC, which includes a production company and sonaBLAST! Records. Holland and his wife, Augusta Brown, developed The Green Building, a 130-year-old LEED Platinum-certified building in Louisville, which is now the greenest commercial building in Kentucky. He was instrumental in turning a formerly economically depressed and run-down east downtown Louisville area into a thriving arts/design, local food, and sustainable district, for which he coined the term “NuLu” and served five years as President of the NuLu Business Association. A Spirit Award nominee for film producer of the year, Holland has also worked on over 125 movies, many of which were award winners and Sundance Film Festival favorites. Additionally, Holland is a co-owner of Harlan County Beer Company, and a small minority partner in the soccer teams USL’s Louisville City Football Club and NWSL’s Racing Louisville, and a co-founder of the newly launched Outsider Art Museum and Gallery in Louisville.
He has served on many cultural boards, including the Fund for the Arts, Speed Art Museum, Actors Theatre, Olmsted Parks Conservancy, and the KY Film Commission. He was named 2009’s Person of the Year by Louisville Magazine. Holland received a BA and JD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Edward J. Shapiro is an art collector and senior advisor at the Chertoff Group, assisting companies and investors with national security regulatory approvals. Shapiro is also an experienced litigator and has recently completed more than thirty years as a Partner at Latham & Watkins LLP, where he had expertise in complex civil litigation and in the conduct and defense of investigations into allegations of complex fraud or other wrongful business conduct. He has particular experience in litigating technical accounting and/or engineering issues in industries including energy, aerospace and defense, telecommunications, financial services, construction, and real estate. From 1986-88, Shapiro was Assistant General Counsel of the Department of Defense, where he and his staff were responsible for, among other matters, management of the Department’s legal response to the Iran-Contra investigation, defense industrial security matters, and ethics/standards of conduct issues. Shapiro is a past Chair of the American Bar Association Committee on Contracting with National Security Requirements. He recently completed service on the Governing Board of the National Cathedral School (member, Executive Committee, and chair, Audit Committee), and sits on the Washington Regional Board of the American Jewish Committee.
Residing in Chevy Chase, Maryland, Shapiro and his wife Nell are collectors of folk art and were lenders to AFAM’s American Weathervanes: The Art of the Winds exhibition. He currently serves on AFAM’s Learning and Engagement Committee. He received his AB from Princeton University and his JD from Harvard Law School.
About the American Folk Art Museum
The American Folk Art Museum engages people of all backgrounds through its collections, exhibitions, publications, and programs as the leading forum shaping the understanding and appreciation of folk and self-taught artists across time and place.