CEC ARTSLINK'S STAFF

A seasoned arts manager, Fritzie Brown served as Senior Program Director at CEC ArtsLink for nearly a decade prior to assuming the executive directorship in October 2007. In 2008, she produced FlipFest!, in celebration of the 15th anniversary of the ArtsLink Awards. This evening-long extravaganza brought artists ranging from Czech performance artists to musicians from the Russian tundra to the Lower East Side’s Angel Orensanz Foundation for sizzling performances of theatre, music, dance and more.

During her tenure as Program Director, she streamlined and restructured the ArtsLink Awards program, co-directed the acclaimed internet/residency go_HOME, and developed and produced Flipside, the exhibition and catalogue that celebrated 12 years of ArtsLink exchanges. She came to New York from San Francisco where she was Director of Operations and Interim Executive Director at Headlands Center for the Arts, a cutting-edge international arts center and residency program, before joining CEC 1997.

She has moderated and participated in public panels both in the US and in Europe concerning artists’ communities, visual and performing arts issues. In 2009, she represented CEC ArtsLink as a speaker at the Culturelink Conference in Zagreb as well as a conference on artists’ residencies in Warsaw; she has also served on numerous national and international grant selection panels, and is a member of the Alliance of Artists Communities, ArtTable, and recently completed a term on the College Art Association’s International Committee. She studied fine arts at San Francisco State University and her graphic work and installation have been exhibited in the US, Poland, Croatia and the Slovak Republic.
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Alisa Besher provides administrative, communication and program support and acts as primary liaison between CEC ArtsLink's New York and St. Petersburg offices. She comes to CEC Artslink after performing various roles as teaching artist, museum educator and events programmer in New York City. She developed her interest in non-profit arts programming during her undergraduate studies through internships at The Filmmaker’s Coop and Rooftop Films. Since graduating, Alisa has worked at the Brooklyn Museum, where she played a key role in the inception and production of public events such as Target First Saturday, the Museum of the Moving Image and Beam Camp (a collaborative arts and architecture camp). Born in Moscow, Alisa has lived in Prague, where she attended FAMU Institute, and Rennes, France, where she taught English. Alisa graduated from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University with a BFA in Film Production.
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Kendal Henry is an artist and curator who lives in New York City and specializes in the field of public art for over twenty years. His work, often under CEC ArtsLink’s aegis, illustrates how public art can be used as a tool for social engagement and economic development through the projects and programs he’s initiated in the US, Europe, Russia, Asia, Australia, Central Asia, and the Caribbean.

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Tamalyn organizes and oversees selection, placement and logistics for the ArtsLink Residencies, Independent Projects and ArtsLink Projects programs. She is a practicing artist and has exhibited her artwork and performed with the experimental folk band Goddess at numerous venues including Wave Hill, SculptureCenter, Storefront for Art and Architecture, Deitch Projects and Tonic in New York. Previously she served as Managing Editor of Grand Street Magazine and worked as project manager and fabricator for sculptor Mel Chin, with whom she has collaborated on several projects including In the Name of the Place and S.O.S. (Straight off the Street): Moment.  She has a Masters Degree in Russian Literature from Columbia University and a Masters of Fine Arts from Mills College.
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Zhenia’s 16 years of experience at CEC ArtsLink – from Development Assistant to Events and Communications Manager – are instrumental in successful integration of program, communications and events. She oversees an ongoing stream of newsletters and e-news, creating consistent message and strengthening connections with our constituents and alumni. She has developed and managed many successful fundraising events and initiated CEC ArtsLink Talks, a series of events about contemporary issues in the arts. Ms. Stadnik holds an MA degree in History from Lviv University (Ukraine); she studied Economics and Business Administration at Fordham University, New York.
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Program Manager, Global Art Lab, Central Asia
Anastasia (Nastya) Tolstaya coordinates Global Art Lab projects in Russia and Central Asia working closely with the participants.  She manages the application process and logistics for the Arts Leadership Fellows Program and works closely with Russian funders on grant applications and reporting.  In the past few years, Nastya has also been involved in the development of public art projects in Russia and Central Asia.  Nastya graduated from the St. Petersburg Theatre Arts Academy's Theater Management Department.
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Program Coordinator, ArtsLink Awards
Maxim Tumenev is an actor, teacher and arts administrator. Maxim embarked on a career in
Performing Arts after earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Drama from The Ilkhom Theatre
School of Drama in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (the only independent professional repertoire theatre company in Central Asia). He has enjoyed a successful artistic career as a performer in interdisciplinary theatre, incorporating elements of video art, dance, music, found-texts and original writing. He has served in the capacity of Company Manager, Performing and Visual Arts curator, Producer and Production Manager on more than 15 tours worldwide throughout Europe, Russia, Asia and USA. Maxim is multi-lingual, fluent in Russian, English and French and has recently relocated to New York City from Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

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