Meet New NYFA Board Member: Mary Lang
“I wanted to join the NYFA board to foster funding, access, education, and peer networks as open resources to the artist community in New York and beyond.”
As a continuation of our ongoing series of blog posts dedicated to the exceptional arts advocates who operate behind the scenes here at NYFA, we are proud to introduce one of our newest board members, Mary Lang. Mary was nice enough to answer a few questions for us about herself, her aspirations as a NYFA board member, and her favorite artists.
About Mary Lang:
Mary Lang is the Senior Vice President of Dispositions for Prologis, Inc., the world’s largest owner, operator, and developer of industrial real estate. Mary joined Prologis in 2004 and has completed over 4.5 Billion of commercial real estate transactions across the United States. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in Business Administration from UC Berkeley. Mary has previously served on the Board of Directors of Women In Real Estate (WIRE) and The Performance Art Institute (PAI), located in San Francisco.
NYFA: What made you decide to join the NYFA board?
ML: I was exposed to the arts as a very young child, having taken up the violin at age 3 (parents!). Touring the major performing arts centers along the East Coast with a regional Suzuki troupe instilled a passion for the performing arts that extended well beyond the confines of the small farming town where I was raised. My father was an artist who developed a program in Pennsylvania called “Authors & Artists” that brought countless performers and artisans to our small corner of the state, including the talents of Julie Harris, Béla Fleck & the Flecktones, The Modern Mandolin Quartet, and James Kirkwood to name just a few. Art, in all of its forms, holds a cultural significance for me that has shaped all aspects of who I am as an individual. I wanted to join the NYFA board to foster funding, access, education, and peer networks as open resources to the artist community in New York and beyond.
NYFA: What do you hope to bring to NYFA as a board member?
ML: The primary purpose for my involvement with NYFA is to support artists. NYFA has done amazing work ensuring that all forms of art are represented by the platform and I hope to lend my experience in marketing and sales to widen NYFA’s reach and financial resources. At a local level, I’m looking forward to engaging with artists that have received support from NYFA and learning from their experience.
NYFA: Who are some of your favorite artists and why?
ML: Matthew Picton – I am very drawn to structural works, it’s an aesthetic that feels very relatable. Matthew’s work satisfies my inclination toward the overtly physical while adding layers of historical significance; serving as both an educational and optically compelling storytelling element.
Robert Malmberg – Photography is a form that I find very challenging. The line is blurred between works that are considered fine art and those that are considered commercial. Robert’s work brings a unique point of view to a form that, in my view, can be oversubscribed given its accessibility.
Adam Fuss – Haunting, disturbing, yet mesmerizing works utilizing natural elements or objects in the presence of light and light-sensitive material. There is a surprising amount of peace and reflection that inhabit the viewer when observing Adam’s works.
See NYFA’s full Board of Directors and Leadership Council here.
– Chris Messer, Executive Assistant
Image credit: Michael Mowery Photography
