Arts leader Daisy McGowan will leave her perch at the end of the year as director of University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Galleries of Contemporary Art to head up a Denver-based arts nonprofit.

Beginning Jan. 3, she’ll act as executive director of Think 360 Arts for Learning, a 60-year-old organization that seeks to bring innovative arts programming to Coloradans of all ages, including students, teachers and seniors.

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“I love their values: creativity, delight, learning, education, inclusion, accessibility,” McGowan said. “The core of our mission at GOCA is education. This is jumping over to be in the more administrative role with growing this program.”

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McGowan’s contributions to UCCS and the Springs arts community during her almost 13 years at GOCA are many, including helping to curate and produce more than 100 exhibits; helping open Ent Center for the Arts in 2018; building up and finding funding for GOCA’s downtown satellite gallery; Art WithOut Limits, a program that features temporary projects outside of the galleries; the long-running Brilliant art party; and the Visiting Artists + Critics Series.

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“I’m grateful for the artists who stepped up to work with me and GOCA over the last 13 years,” McGowan said. “Everybody does this from a place of passion. There’s not a lot of money in the arts. We’re working hard because we love it and we’re invested in it. And thank you to this community for taking a chance on weird and sometimes challenging art. I hope they continue to do so.”

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