PS21 is thrilled to announce Vallejo Gantner as our new Artistic & Executive Director, as first shared by the New York Times earlier today. 

Vallejo comes to PS21 with 25+ years of experience leading innovative arts organizations in the US, Australia, and Ireland. As Artistic Director of Performance Space 122 from 2005-2017, Executive and Artistic Director of Onassis Foundation USA, Curatorial Advisor for BAM, and beyond, he has championed a diverse array of artists, experimental works, and cutting-edge ideas throughout his career. A consistent emphasis in his curatorial practice has been the creation of new and unexpected experiences across artforms for curious audiences. 

Vallejo will oversee the continued growth of PS21’s interdisciplinary programming throughout the year, and across our entire 100-acre campus. He is excited to extend and amplify a program that has brought some of the world’s leading artists to Chatham, while seeking new ethical and sustainable models of community participation, engagement, and artistic output. A long-time homeowner and part-time resident of upstate NY, he is passionate about the role the arts can play in our region’s economies and evolution. He is already working to deepen PS21’s ties to other arts and cultural organizations regionally, nationally, and globally, towards the continued development of our region into an artistic hub unto itself. 

“I’m honored to be entrusted with the stewardship of PS21’s artistic vision and the remarkable theatre and campus in which the pathfinding visions of Judy Grunberg and Elena Siyanko have taken root and grown,” said Gantner. “As Artistic & Executive Director, I intend to see that PS21 and the upper Hudson Valley become a new center of gravity for both the region and the country at large. In challenging political, economic, and cultural times such as these, the voice of a proudly inclusive arts organization that reaches across aisles and fields is more important than ever.”

“We are excited to welcome Vallejo Gantner into this new chapter at PS21,” said Alice Kocis and Louis Hedgecock, co-presidents of PS21’s Board of Directors. “Vallejo brings a vision that goes far beyond enriching our stage. His experience in contemporary performing arts, paired with his passion for strengthening relationships and pushing the boundaries of our institution’s role within greater Columbia County, promises a future where art and community grow together.”

Read the full press release here. 

And don’t miss our 2025 season preview here!