AAACC Welcomes New Managing Director
San Francisco– The African American Art and Culture Complex’s Co-Executive Directors, Melonie Green and Melorra Green and leadership team are excited to announce the addition of David Mack in the new role of Managing Director. As AAACC is preparing to complete the last installment of its successful five-month arts series, “Season of Black Art” in February, its leaders say Mack with his skills and expertise in operations and arts management, organizational change and funder relations could not have come at a better time. Mack started his tenure immediately following the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, Tuesday, January 16, 2024.
“The African American Art and Culture Complex is undergoing exponential growth and is expanding its reach regionally, nationally and internationally. David Mack is a great addition to our excellent team,” said Reverend Arnold Townsend, President of the Board of Directors.
Over the past decade, Mack (he/him) has managed some of California’s most innovative performing arts organizations, including: Joe Goode Performance Group, Invertigo Dance Theatre, The Industry and Watts Village Theater Company. As a Strategic Consultant, Mack’s clients have included the cities of West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Culver City, as well as Center Theatre Group and LA Dance Project.
During his four-year tenure as Managing Director of Watts Village Theater Company, the company tripled its annual operating budget, doubled the size of its Board of Directors and was awarded a Regional Theatre Tony Award.
Mack is no stranger to the Bay Area arts landscape. Mack most recently served as a member of WESTAF’s Greater Bay Area Arts & Cultural Advocacy Coalition and Co-Founder of Artist Magnet and Artist Magnet Justice Alliance, Oakland-based arts service organizations. He has served on the Boards and committee leadership of several arts organizations, including the San Francisco Arts Alliance and Western Arts Alliance.
“David has the expertise of managing immersive cultural performances in storefronts, train stations and public spaces with the ability to collaborate with national funders, corporations, local vendors, government municipalities and collaborating performing arts,” said Melonie Green Co-Director of the African American Art and Culture Complex. “He’s truly a great asset to our remarkable team with its recent success of the “Season of Black Art” and “The Wakanda Winter Wonderland that have been crowd pleasers.”
“I am honored and excited to join the leadership team of one of the oldest and most significant African American cultural organizations in the Bay Area. AAACC holds a deep legacy and special place in the hearts of many artists and residents – locally and throughout the region. I look forward to working with our team to expand the Center’s visibility and deepen our impact on the communities we serve with innovative programs like the “Season of Black Art,” said David Mack.
The AAACC launched “The Season of Black Art” to reintroduce San Francisco to the arts space that has sustained over 200 artists and businesses via funding from Mayor London Breed’s “Dream Keeper Initiative.” The last installment of the series that has been directed by Rodney Earl Jackson, Jr., founder of the theater company, SF BATCO and its New Roots Theater Festival, culminates on Saturday, February 10th with an all-day “Symposium on Black Art.” The five-month series launched in October 2023 to provide a platform of visibility for the arts and business cohort gave the community not only an opportunity to see unsung talent, but also the new renovations of the old building that was once a brewery.