Founded in 1935, Lexington Arts and Crafts (LexArt) continues to service the community and expand in resources and innovation throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the last 86 years, the educational non-profit collaborative has undergone many intentional and inevitable changes, but the ones enacted in the past year are completely reshaping LexArt to even further “encourage and inspire artisans at all stages of their journeys” and “enrich lives through the power of art and craft,” quoted from their vision and mission statements.

In November 2020, Matthew Siegal, former Chair of the Department of Conservatism and Collections Management at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, was officially appointed as Executive Director and President of LexArt. Prior to Siegal, the organization was entirely volunteer run until March 2019 when the organization overhauled its internal structure and government, temporarily electing Wayne Davis, board member and chair, as interim president until they hired someone for a permanent position. And in addition to hiring an executive director, LexArt had been working on their big plans to redo their gallery space.

And then, the tired phrase — the pandemic hit. From that point on, LexArt went through hiring Siegal; ahead with the renovation; and now has been working on gradually reopening in 2021 with new broader outreach, exhibitions and programs with continuous help of dedicated volunteers who are still an extremely crucial part of the organization.

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