FRYE ART MUSEUM WELCOMES TWO NEW BOARD MEMBERS
The Frye Art Museum announced the appointment of Rafael Soldi and Stephanie DeVaan to the Board of Trustees; their official term began February 10, 2025. Their addition expands the board to eleven members. DeVaan brings extensive nonprofit board experience as well as connections to both the tech and film communities, and Soldi is the first working artist to join the museum's board.
"I am delighted to join the board of the Frye at this pivotal moment as the museum reimagines its space, expands its vision, and invigorates its programs with new voices and ideas that engage our community," shared DeVaan.
Soldi assured, "As the first artist board member, I am invested in supporting the museum's commitment to amplifying the voices of living artists. My journey with the museum began as a young artist—when I could only afford to visit a free museum—and continues over fifteen years later as the home of my first solo exhibition on the West Coast, and now as I join the Board of Directors. I look forward to supporting the museum's talented team in the continued transformation of this cherished Seattle gem."
Frye Executive Director Jamilee Lacy has stated that they are thrilled to have new voices at the table: "The rest of the museum's stellar board and I are inspired by their collective passion for activating the Frye's mission and vision as a dynamic gathering space where Seattle meets artists. They understand the issues and opportunities of the moment with a depth that will lend focused guidance to our preparations for the museum's 75th anniversary in 2027."
Rafael Soldi is a Peruvian visual artist based in Seattle. He uses video, photography, installation, text, and performance to reflect on masculinity, language, immigration, violence, and memory, informed by his queer, Peruvian identity. Rafael has exhibited internationally and has received support from The Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts, Artist Trust, and 4Culture, among others. He has been awarded fellowships at MacDowell, Bogliasco Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, and PICTURE BERLIN. His work is in numerous institutional collections and has been reviewed in ARTFORUM, The Seattle Times, The Boston Globe, THE SEEN, ArtNexus, and PDN. His solo exhibition Rafael Soldi: Soft Boy was on view at the Frye Art Museum October 7, 2023–January 7, 2024.
Stephanie DeVaan has several past lives including as an artist in the South of France, a scientific researcher at MIT, a biotech marketer at Genzyme, and a brand manager at Microsoft. Since retiring from Microsoft, she has worked on several nonprofit boards and in the court system as a special advocate for abused and neglected children. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, The Weizmann Institute of Science, and Stanford Business School, Stephanie lives in Seattle, Washington with her husband Jon. Her daughters Juliana and Bella live in New York City.
Founded in 1952, the Frye Art Museum is Seattle's only free art museum, bringing together art and new ideas within a stunning Olson Sundberg Kundig-designed building in historic First Hill. A founding collection of turn-of-the-century oil paintings is bolstered by a wide range of modern and contemporary art holdings, reflecting our region's evolving identity and a commitment to exploring the art of our time.
*Cover image: Rafael Soldi, Frye Art Museum Executive Director Jamilee Lacy, and Stephanie DeVaan. Courtesy of the Frye Art Museum
