Dave Lawrence Takes Helm As Cultural Council Of Palm Beach County

After being appointed in June as President and CEO of the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County following a national search by Arts Consulting Group, David B. Lawrence recently assumed his new role at the 40-year-old nonprofit’s historic headquarters in downtown Lake Worth.

Prior to his role at the Council, Lawrence spent almost two decades at the Arts Council of Indianapolis, serving as president and CEO for nine years. His arts management background includes work with Indianapolis Opera, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, Clowes Memorial Hall, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Indiana University Auditorium and the INB Broadway Series.

“The search committee was particularly impressed by Dave’s prior background with the arts and cultural organizations in Indianapolis, the leadership roles he held at the Arts Council and the growth of the sector under his direction,” said Bill Parmelee, vice chair of the Council’s board of directors and CFO of Oxbow Carbon. “Dave is also well respected by his peers at Americans for the Arts, Urban Arts Federation and other national organizations. He brings a passion for arts and culture, a strong strategic perspective and an infectious enthusiasm for his new role at the Cultural Council.”

Lawrence said, “I am honored to lead the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, which represents one of the largest cultural sectors in the nation. The organization has a strong strategic plan and a legacy of impact. I’m excited to begin the next chapter of my arts career in ‘Florida’s Cultural Capital.'”

During his tenure at the Arts Council, Lawrence directed the organization’s efforts to create ’46 for XLVI’ (46 murals painted throughout the city of Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis that won the 2012 NUVO Cultural Vision Award), ‘Vibrant Corridors’ (murals painted on the walls of railroad and highway underpasses), and a number of nationally acclaimed, ground-breaking artist fellowship programs, including the Transformational Impact Fellowship, the DeHaan Artist of Distinction Award, the Arts Journalism Fellowship Program and the Robert D. Beckmann, Jr. Emerging Artist Fellowship. He also partnered with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Mayor’s Office of Indianapolis and the Superintendent’s Office of Indianapolis Public Schools, to ensure that 100 percent of Indianapolis students (K-8) have equitable access to the creative arts through the “Any Given Child” program.

A graduate of DePauw University, Lawrence is an elected member of the Executive Committee of the United States Urban Arts Federation and a founding member of the national Emerging Leaders Council for Americans for the Arts. Lawrence played a key role in the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission including conceiving and implementing the Fast Track Funding Program and pioneering arts infusion strategies for the city. He is a frequent national grant panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, and served as a grant panelist for the Cultural Council in 2013.

About the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County is the official support agency for arts and culture in The Palm Beaches, Florida’s Cultural Capital®. The Council provides grants to cultural organizations and professional artists, advocates for art and cultural funding, enhances local arts education, offers support services to foster growth of the sector and promotes cultural tourism.

The Cultural Council also serves as a venue for exhibitions and performances featuring artists who live or work in Palm Beach County, and provides additional programming at its headquarters in the historic Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. Building in Downtown Lake Worth. Also on the property are the Roe Green Uniquely Palm Beach Store featuring hand-crafted items by local artists; the Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Visitor Information Center, a VISIT FLORIDA-designated Florida Certified Tourism Information Center; and the Project Space, an open-air garden for live music and large-scale sculpture.

The Cultural Council is open to the public from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, including a complete calendar of cultural activities in The Palm Beaches, visit palmbeachculture.com.