ABOUT MOSCOW CONTEMPORARY
Our People
History
Press

MISSION

Moscow Contemporary connects, supports, and creates community through art and arts education.

 

VISION

Moscow Contemporary facilitates the vision of current, emerging, and future artists by: 

  • Nourishing a broader understanding of our civilization by providing a space that encourages free artistic expression and the open exchange of ideas.  

  • Using outreach to forge new connections that supplement and impact education on local, regional, and international levels.

  • Inspiring lifelong learning through contemporary arts by delivering original educational content to a diverse audience of all ages and experiences.

 

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Moscow Contemporary programming is being held on the unceded Ancestral lands of the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce), Palus (Palouse), Schitsu’umsh (Coeur d’Alene) Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla people as well as other nations who met, traded, and made art here. We acknowledge with regret, the painful history of genocide, forced removal and continued displacement of Indigenous peoples throughout history. Moscow Contemporary agrees to disclose the inequities inherent in our culture and take action to dismantle them. We seek to honor the enduring relationships between the Indigenous Nations and their traditional homelands. We commit to responsible stewardship of this land we occupy, and a furtherance of respect for the people who have called it home since time immemorial.

STAFF

Executive Director

Roger Rowley

director@moscowcontemporary.org

Executive Director, Roger Rowley, has an MFA from Visual Studies Workshop, where he worked in the exhibitions program immediately upon arrival, then running their traveling exhibitions services and ultimately becoming exhibition program coordinator.

In 2001, he became curator of exhibitions/collections manager at the Museum of Art/WSU in Pullman, WA, prior to becoming director of the Prichard Art Gallery. During his 16 years at PAG, he raised more than $1 million in programming funds through increased donations, multiple foundation grants, and 7 NEA awards totally $100,000. For his efforts he received the Mayor’s Arts Award, and in 2020, the Governor’s Arts Award.

 
 

Managing Director

Sonja Foard

asstdirector@moscowcontemporary.org

Managing Director, Sonja Foard, has an MFA from Yale University and a BFA from University of Tennessee, Knoxville in Painting and Printmaking. She has participated in creating multiple alternative and pop-up exhibition spaces around the country. Foard has worked at the gallery under Roger’s direction for more than 3 years, starting shortly after her arrival in Moscow.

She has built out the education programming including tours, after school classes, art lessons and adult workshops, and adapted it to serve a distanced audience during the height of the pandemic. Foard has served on the Moscow Arts Commission since 2019

Education Director

Megan Mack

artsed@moscowcontemporary.org

Education Director, Megan Mack is an MFA graduate from Pratt Institute in 2021. She has worked predominantly as a portrait and commercial photographer for over ten years in both Los Angeles and New York. Currently, she works as a photographer, videographer, and interdisciplinary artist examining social and environmental issues within the more-than-human world. She joined the Moscow Contemporary team in October 2021 and has been building out the education programming including NSAP (A free program for students when school is not in session). Her drive to create community through the arts expands into the programming she facilitates through MosCo.

EDUCATION SUPPORT STAFF

Visual ASAP Instructor: Heather Woolery Larsen

Movement ASAP Instructor: Corrie Befort

Oil Painting Instructor: Amanda Harlow

Collage Club Facilitator: Lauren McCleary

EDUCATION VOLUNTEER

Visual ASAP Volunteer: Cindy Morrow

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board has age and gender diversity with experiences in the nonprofit, and for-profit world. It includes individuals who are artists, business owners, nonprofit leaders, and educators.

Justin Barnes
Amanda Bronowski
Linda Chen
Gary Dorr
Karen Dowling
Thad Froio
Hailey Lewis
Chris Proctor
Stefanie Ramirez

 

VOLUNTEER

Even in the short time that we’ve been in operation, volunteers have already done amazing work for us. From digital to physical, helping with admin or reimagining the facilities to better serve our mission, volunteers have helped move us forward in innumerable ways.


Volunteer of the Year for 2023
Linzy Berger: Photographer, Videographer, Editor, and Social Media Maven. Linzy has taken our digital media footprint and vision to the next level. Thank you!

Volunteer of the Year for 2022
Jeanne Leffingwell: Organizer extraordinaire. By the time she’s done it’s going to be transformative.

Complete the Volunteer Form and we’ll figure out how you can best help us grow and improve.

 

HISTORY

 
 

Moscow Contemporary began as an idea for how to preserve  the unique space at 414 S. Main Street as a downtown gallery. What started as a proposal for a public-private partnership with the University of Idaho  evolved into a new standalone nonprofit. 

We created Moscow Contemporary to SAVE THE GALLERY! Having achieved that goal, we’ve grown into a vital arts and arts educational organization providing critically needed enrichment for our community. In early December 2023 we were informed by the building owners that they had a cash purchase offer. To complete the sale of the building we needed to vacate. This brings an end to nearly 40 years of one of the best galleries in Idaho. It does not signal the end to MosCo! Our growth and community integration powers us forward. We will have a new temporary home to continue arts programming while we develop long term plans for a permanent home. In the meantime all of our educational programs continue through partnerships with dedicated community organizations that value the services we provide. Thank you to the 1912 Center, Inland Oasis, and PCEI.

 

Timeline

1/31/24: Vacated 414 S Main St
12/9/23: Notice to Vacate
11/22/21: MosCo receives 501c3 status!
8/1/21: MosCo becomes occupant of 414 S Main
7/16/21: MosCo files IRS 1023
6/18/21: MosCo/UI agree in principle to transition
4/22/21: MosCo incorporates
12/31/20: UI closes down full operations