Trained as an architectural designer and historian, I research, write, and organize exhibits and cultural programming at the intersection of architecture, art, landscape, and the city.

I am a dynamic director with over 16 years of experience creating mission-fulfilling civic and cultural engagement with artists, educators, organizations, and institutions. I specialize in interdisciplinary academic and public programming, exhibitions, and publications rooted in the arts, architecture, and humanities. I build program and departmental frameworks from the ground up, grow cross-functional teams, and develop collaborative partnerships. I am committed to producing knowledge for the public good, having had repeated success building alliances among community groups and academic institutions to broaden access and deepen connections between lines of inquiry and across fields.

Currently the Program Development Director in the Office of Academic Initiatives and Strategic Innovation at the CUNY Graduate Center, I established the vision, strategic priorities, best practices, and policies to oversee a diverse portfolio of innovative and collaborative non-degree academic and cultural programs.

Prior to joining CUNY, I worked for NYC Parks as the Manager for Programs, Arts and Grants at Freshkills Park, where I built the art program for the landfill-to-park site through an inquiry-based artist residency program, Field R/D, and the on-site Studio+Gallery I founded in January 2018. My work at the Park has been the subject of articles in Hyperallergic, Art in America, ArtSpace, and BOMB Magazine.

My graduate thesis for the Masters of Science in the History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture & Art at MIT focused on the first documenta in 1955 in Kassel, Germany and related the exhibit design to the landscape and garden show in the midst of postwar urban reconstruction.

Other writings have been published by Sternberg Press, Thresholds, PLOT, MIT/Keller Gallery, RISD Int|AR, and Urban Omnibus independently and representing Freshkills Park. I occasionally update my blog and boards of visual inspirations and associations.

Call on me for:
Program Building | Strategic Partnerships | Public Engagement | Creative Collaboration | Project Planning & Management | Team Leadership | Academic Administration | Financial Management | Communications | Social Impact


mariel.anaise@gmail.com// LinkedIn