Sharon Louden.

COURTESY SHARON LOUDEN

The Chautauqua Institution in Western New York has appointed the artist, educator, and editor Sharon Louden as the artistic director and chair of its Visual Arts at Chautauqua Institution program. In her new position, Louden will oversee the Chautauqua School of Art and the institution’s Strohl and Fowler-Kellogg Art Centers, as well as an artist lecture series and public programming.

Louden is perhaps best known as an abstract painter—her work is the subject of upcoming solo shows at the University of Wyoming Art Museum in Laramie and at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has also edited the books series “Living and Sustaining a Creative Life,” which brings together essays by artists about how to make a career out of producing artwork.

In a statement, Louden said, “I’m excited to develop an incubator of inclusive, expansive programming in the visual arts, including professional development for artists, the art of pedagogy, writing in the 21st century, and emphasizing the relevance of art history today. I’m looking forward to collaborating with everyone at Chautauqua as we increase the value of the visual arts through VACI’s programming.”