Stuart Horodner with sledgehammer at the Contemporary. You're next, Donald Judd! Photo: CNN

Speaking of stepping down, the word is out now that Kay Kallos is leaving the Contemporary effective pretty much immediately. Her last day will be Monday, July 7th and she'll be in Dallas that same week.

Here's the Contemporary's statement, (phrased as a positive rather than a negative in good PR style):

Stuart Horodner named Artistic Director and Stacie Lindner announced Managing Director of the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center.

The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, celebrating 35 years as Atlanta’s premier contemporary art venue, announces a new management team; Stuart Horodner and Stacie Lindner. Horodner, currently the Contemporary’s curator, and Lindner, gallery manager, will expand their roles to include fundraising, board and external relations, facilities and financial management and program and personnel oversight.

Executive Director, Kay Kallos will be relocating to Dallas in early July for personal reasons. She has been working closely with both Horodner and Lindner during her tenure and she is confident there will be a seamless transition to maintain the stability currently enjoyed by the organization. Kallos notes, “The strength of the Contemporary, witnessed by a 200% increase in attendance as well as significant new donor support in the last year, will be maintained by this team. I am confident that Stuart and Stacie are ready for new challenges at the Contemporary and I am pleased that they will take up the leadership of this outstanding organization and I wish them many years of great success.”

The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center’s Board President Baxter Jones states, “Stuart and Stacie will be a very strong team. They complement each other's skills effectively and have worked well as a part of the management structure at the Contemporary over the last year. Programs and exhibitions have witnessed record attendance and new program areas have been implemented to further the mission of the institution. I’m pleased about the prospect of working with them in their expanded roles.”

I always thought that Kay had a great sense of integrating the local with the national. You could not doubt her devotion to growing the local scene, and I'll miss that because I think the institution's relationship to the local community of artists (many of whom feel alienated from the institution) will be of paramount importance in how the Contemporary defines itself.

Does this mean Horodner is going back to being at the Contemporary full time? I'm watching the blog for answers.

Also, whether this new management situation is permanent remains to be seen. Apparently, DiverseWorks in Houston, among others, has been making the dual management structure work for a while. Meanwhile, I'm also waiting to see what direction Stacie and Stuart take the institution. Likely we'll continue to see a steady stream of Portlanders coming through, artwork and rain-soaked umbrellas in tow. But other programming? Let's hear it, y'all.