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Hi! I’m danielle

I'm an arts and cultural leader, educator, and creative thinker who believes art has an important role to play in shaping the places we live and the communities we build.

For more than 15 years, I've worked across nonprofit organizations, municipal government, education, and state arts agencies, developing programs, building partnerships, and creating opportunities for artists and communities. My work lives at the intersection of arts, public policy, cultural development, and civic life, with a particular interest in how creative ideas become lasting public investments.

Throughout my career, I've helped establish new cultural programs, expand access to arts education, activate public spaces, and connect artists with opportunities to contribute to the places around them.

Building programs and creating opportunities

Today, I serve as a Program Director at the Maine Arts Commission, where I lead statewide public art and creative community development initiatives.

In 2025, I launched Maine's Creative Communities Grant. The program supported 17 community-driven arts projects in its first funding cycle and expanded to 27 projects in its second year. Across its first two cycles, the program attracted 171 applications requesting more than $1 million in funding, demonstrating the strong demand for local cultural investment across Maine.

I also oversee Maine's Percent for Art program, working with artists, architects, public agencies, educational institutions, and selection committees to bring permanent artwork into public buildings and spaces throughout the state.

Among the projects I've helped advance is Pinecone Pair with Tassel by Maine artist Patrick Plourde, the first permanent public artwork on the grounds of the historic Blaine House, Maine's governor's residence. Helping bring this project to fruition represents an important part of what I value about public art: its ability to become part of a place's identity and contribute to the cultural legacy we leave for future generations.

Connecting art and civic life

Before moving to Maine, I worked in municipal cultural development in Massachusetts. As Associate Director of Cultural Development for the City of Newton, I helped connect artists, businesses, and city departments through public art, cultural programming, and creative placemaking initiatives.

In Medford, I served as Co-Chair of the Medford Arts Council, where I helped establish the city's first Poet Laureate program. I was also a founding board member of Arts Collaborative Medford, helping establish the nonprofit and hire its first Executive Director. Today, the organization operates a 10,000-square-foot community arts center, providing much-needed space for artists, exhibitions, education, and creative collaboration.

Alongside my work in public arts administration, I'm an adjunct faculty member at Maine College of Art & Design, where I teach graduate-level Arts Strategy & Management. My teaching explores organizational leadership, strategic planning, community engagement, and the practical challenges of turning creative ideas into sustainable programs.

I hold a Master of Public Administration in Public Humanities and Arts and a bachelor's degree in Cultural Studies from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

What drives my work

Whether I'm helping a community develop a new cultural initiative, guiding a public art commission, working with emerging arts leaders, or creating opportunities for people to participate in the arts, I'm motivated by a common question:

How can we make creativity a more meaningful part of everyday life?

I believe that art belongs in our neighborhoods, public institutions, schools, civic spaces, and community conversations. And I believe that strong cultural programs are built through collaboration, thoughtful leadership, and a willingness to imagine something that doesn't yet exist.