Norah Diedrich, Executive Director at the Evanston Art Center, explains how regional centers are uniquely positioned to assist contemporary artists. She also describes the many opportunities at the Center, from teaching jobs to fiscal sponsorship, and provides key advice on studio visits.
“Most of the people I see are working across disciples and they’re trying to investigate many problems at the same time. And they all influence each other, and I’m interested to see how that happens, what that process is like. For me, I don’t need to see just one focused body of work; I like to see a wide-open investigation.”
Norah Diedrich is the Executive Director of the Evanston Art Center in Illinois. Diedrich grew up in Chicago and as a child she began taking art classes at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She attended the University of Illinois for a Bachelor of Science then moved to New York City, where she worked as Creative Director and Copywriter at the marketing company Ammirati & Pusis (now Lowe & Partners) for 12 years. She returned to Illinois in 1994, becoming a photography instructor at the Evanston Art Center and a member/officer of the feminist art co-op Artemisia Gallery. Diedrich worked for several years as Creative Uses Consultant for Polaroid before taking the position of Manager of Public Programs at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. She earned a Certificate in Museum Studies from Northwestern University in 2002, and in 2004 she became the Director of Cultural Programs for the Alliance Française de Chicago. Diedrich took her current position at the Evanston Art Center in 2009. In addition to her other degrees, Diedrich holds a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management from Spertus College.