Imagine MKE has hired long-time arts, development and marketing leader Christine Hojnacki as the new executive director of the nonprofit, founded in 2019 to advance and advocate for the region’s arts, culture and creative industries.
Hojnacki most recently served as chief development officer for the United Performing Arts Fund. She joined UPAF in 2018 as vice president of workplace and company giving, following a lengthy career with The Bon-Ton Stores Inc., where she was served as a corporate vice president and president of the retailer’s foundation.
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“Christine brings a wealth of senior management, marketing and fundraising experience to Imagine MKE,” Imagine MKE Board Chairwoman Beth Haskovec said. “Having worked closely with Milwaukee’s arts, corporate and civic leaders for nearly two decades, Christine has a keen understanding of the mutual needs and interests of the region’s cultural, corporate and donor communities.”
Hojnacki replaces Adam Braatz, who left the organization in October become director of marketing at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. Braatz became Imagine MKE’s executive director in March 2023 with a focus on exploring how Milwaukee can increase its social and economic vibrancy through strategic investment in its diverse creative economy.
Hojnacki takes over the leadership of Imagine MKE at a critical time as the region’s local arts and culture organizations continue to struggle post-pandemic amidst a changing operational and funding landscape.
“Christine will drive the conversations and collaboration necessary to develop a regional vision and plan to help ensure the future of our arts and culture sector and its value to Milwaukee’s economic, educational and emotional well-being.” Imagine MKE Founding Chair Katie Heil said.
Heil pointed to the sense of urgency noted in a May report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum that called for convening top funders, board leaders, arts group directors and public sector officials to plot a sustainable future for the arts by strategically linking the sector and its need for additional funding to broader community goals.
A longstanding challenge cited in the current report, as well as previous Forum research, is the lack of public funding for Wisconsin’s arts organizations. Wisconsin ranks near the bottom in per capita state funding, according to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies even though Wisconsin’s arts and culture sector contributes nearly $12 billion to the state’s economy.
“It’s time to raise the curtain on a new and unified vision that elevates the vital role of arts and culture to a vibrant and prosperous Milwaukee,” Hojnacki said. “Together we can transform how we support and invest in arts and culture, so it benefits us all.”
