New Arts Director Appointed In Hamden

HAMDEN, CT — Julie Smith has been appointed the new Director of the Hamden Department of Arts and Culture, replacing recently retired director Mimsie Coleman. Smith has worked in numerous roles for the town since 2008, serving most recently as Mayor Curt Balzano Leng’s Chief of Staff. Leng said that Smith was appointed after much consideration.

Smith previously served as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer under former Mayor Scott Jackson. She has also served as an Artists Representative and spent many years in non-profit and commercial theater administration in New York City. (To sign up for Hamden breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

In total, Smith brings more than two decades of administrative management and arts programming experience to the Hamden Arts and Culture Department, in addition to a decade of government management experience, according to officials.

“Filling this position was not an easy task,” Leng said in a press release. “After much consideration, I feel as though Hamden’s residents, and the Administration’s overall vision for Arts and Culture development, will best be served by a person who is serving in the very important role of Mayor’s Office Chief of Staff. Her experience in government and the arts really make her a unique fit to take over the department.

“Appointing my own Chief of Staff to this position should demonstrate the value I place on the significant work of the Arts Commission and Arts and Culture Department. I am certain that Ms. Smith will continue to expand Hamden’s reputation as a regional hotspot for Arts and Culture, building upon the many successes our town has experienced under the leadership of recently retired director Mimsie Coleman.”

Smith said that she was honored that Leng appointed her to the role.

“The arts have been a lifelong passion for me and I am excited to share my experience here in Hamden,” she said. “I look forward to working with the Arts Commission and throughout town to expand the role of the arts in our community.”

Chairwoman of the Hamden Arts Commission, Ruth Johnson, also said, “The Hamden Arts Commissioners are certainly looking forward to working with our new Director of the Hamden Arts Commission, Julie Smith. From her administrative positions in the offices of both Mayor Jackson and Mayor Leng, Julie comes to us with strong leadership skills and a rich working knowledge of Hamden, in addition to her own commitment to the Arts. As a commission we have a wonderful legacy to build on and with our new director we will work hard to continue to offer quality programs that inspire, strengthen and celebrate the arts, artists, and art organizations of Hamden."

Former Arts, Recreation, and Culture Director, Mimsie Coleman, said that Smith will be “extraordinary.”

“She has had a passion for art her whole life; majored in theater in college; and spent most of her professional career working in areas related to theater, including for the New York Shakespeare Festival,” Coleman said. “Her eight years here, working in the Hamden Mayor's office, have given her a meticulous understanding of our town government, its people, policies and procedures. This winning combination of an intrinsic love for art, with local government experience in a leadership position, qualifies her in unique ways. Plus, Julie is certain to be creative and fun. The Town of Hamden will richly benefit.”