Eric Vaughn Holowacz
Director, Project Manager, and Art Director in Whakatane, New Zealand
After earning a dual degree in Art History and English Literature at the University of South Carolina. Mr Holowacz began his career at the South Carolina Arts Commission and Spoleto Festival USA. From 1996 to 2002, he served as Executive Director of the Arts Council of Beaufort County and developed innovative arts opportunities, grew the support base, and fostered the creative ideas of the community.
In 2002, Mr Holowacz migrated to New Zealand, and became Wellington City Council’s arts manager the following year. There Mr Holowacz was heavily involved in the planning and development of a new Arts Centre, and shaped a vision for public art, creative production, and cultural partnerships.
In 2007, he was recruited for and accepted a multi-year contract to serve as founding executive director of a new creative community in Key West, Florida. He took the helm and began structuring a vision, plan, and all program and operational aspects for the organization.
In early 2010 Mr Holowacz was offered the role of producer and general director of Cairns Festival, a long-standing creative celebration in Tropical North Queensland. Mr Holowacz was the driving force behind a season of over 100 unique events, dozens of external partnerships, a growing population of sponsors, and audiences of over 100,000.
In 2013, Mr Holowacz returned to the United States to serve as President and Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s leading local arts agency.
In 2015, he became Executive Director of Sedona Arts Center, a 60-year old cultural and educational organization at the heart of Northern Arizona’s creative life. In 2016, he co-founded America's newest residency program for artists and cultural managers, Sedona Summer Colony.
In August 2017, Mr Holowacz was appointed Director of Whakatāne Museum and Arts at Whakatāne District Council. His current role involves the establishment and activation of a new $5 million Museum Collections and Research Centre, management of 12 staff, direction of 4 galleries and 10+ annual exhibitions, development of New Zealand's first Volcanic Artist Residency, and stewardship of a collection of over 800,000 heritage objects, Taonga Maori, fine art, books, photographs, and archives relating to the Eastern Bay of Plenty.