Sam Gappmayer

Sam Gappmayer recently completed 38-year career leading arts organizations focusing on contemporary visual and performing arts, theater, arts education, community engagement, collections and more. He has served as a site visitor for the Accreditation and Museum Assessment Programs of the American Alliance of Museum, as a grant reviewer for regional and national granting agencies, and as a guest curator/lecturer.

Most recently, he served as director of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, WI where he provided vision, leadership, and professional experience in guiding a 50+ year old arts organization with a national and international reputation for excellence in the visual and performing arts. In partnership with an amazingly talented staff, he oversaw public programs that include concerts, dance performances, exhibitions, community outreach programs, a pre-school that is part of the public school system, a publishing program, an innovative artist residency housed in a factory, lectures, classes, workshops, docent led tours, a public art program, and more.

The capstone of Sam’s work at the Kohler Arts Center was the completion of fundraising, design, construction, and activation of the Art Preserve, a $40MM, 57,000 s.f. building that provides public access to the Kohler’s collection of artists-built environments. The New York Times article called the building and approach to exhibitions “unprecedented.” The architects for the building, Tres Birds of Denver, CO won the prestigious American Architecture Award for the design of the Art Preserve.

Sam and his wife Ann recently retired to Mountain Green, a choice that was driven by proximity to the mountains, family, and the vibrant arts scene available in the Ogden area. Sam says, “I am humbled by the invitation to join the Arts Advisory Council and look forward to working with it’s amazing members and the Ogden area arts community.”