1.23.24 – Caitlin Whitington – Executive Director, ArtPrize

SPEAKER: Caitlin Whitington – Executive Director, ArtPrize

SPEAKER TOPIC: Vision for ArtPrize in 2025 and Beyond

BIO:

Austin, Texas, transplant Catlin Whitington moved with his family to Grand Rapids to be at the helm of ArtPrize, the world’s most attended public art event

Catlin Whitington is no stranger to the arts or bringing large-scale events to life. The Austin, Texas, native worked as a planner for the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference for nearly a decade before serving as vice president of campus operations at the city’s Long Center for the Performing Arts.

Building on his passion for increasing access to the arts, Catlin was wooed by Grand Rapids in 2023, where the high quality of life is intrinsically linked to the community’s identity. As the executive director of ArtPrize, Catlin is bringing his experience and expertise to the 15-year-old marquee event – and leading its evolution into ArtPrize 2.0.

On his Texas experiences

I was born in Austin, Texas. I also grew up overseas in Thailand for several years, and then lived in New Mexico and southern Colorado for a little while. But I kept coming back to Austin; I really loved the culture and the scene there. I’m an artist, a musician, and a creative. Moving back to Austin in the late 90s, it was a really happening scene for artists and musicians. I studied commercial music management and music and music production at the community college, and then studied urban planning at the University of Texas. I was specifically looking at how events and municipalities work together, and the economic impact of events and how tourism and tourism marketing drive economic development.

I started working with SXSW after I graduated and worked in the planning department, working with community venues, the city and a lot of the stakeholders.

But I had two young kids, and it was taking a lot out of me every year producing that event. I went to work for the Long Center for Performing Arts in October 2019 as VP of operations. It was the home of the ballet, symphony, and opera in Austin, but we also hosted a lot of community events. Then we ran into the pandemic, and I spent the next three years trying to keep the venue functional.