Creative Capital Announces New Board and Advisory Council Members

April 13, 2026 (New York, NY)—Creative Capital, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individual artists across America, is pleased to announce new Members of the Board of Directors and Advisory Council. In Fiscal Year 2026, the following Board member appointments were made: Caroline Black, Emily Giacoman, and Matthew Keesan, in addition to Advisory Council member appointment of Simone DiLaura.

“Creative Capital has long championed artistic innovation, pairing meaningful financial support with sustained professional development to strengthen both individual careers and the broader cultural ecosystem. Grounded in bold, risk-taking work and long-term investment in artists, its pioneering model sets a vital standard for the field. I am honored to support its far-reaching impact and to advance our shared commitment to sustaining artists and enriching the cultural landscape alongside Reginald Browne, Christine Kuan, the Board, and the organization’s outstanding team.” said Caroline Black, Executive Director, Pollock-Krasner Foundation, new Creative Capital Board member.

“We are thrilled to welcome our newest members who will help position Creative Capital for continued success with our Creative Capital Awards and new State of the Art Prize, providing vital grants and services to artists in all 50 states and territories,” said Reginald M. Browne, Board Chair, Creative Capital.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States’ democracy, Creative Capital’s mission to champion freedom of expression by funding individual artists has never been more grassroots, more relevant, and more potent. Creative Capital remains the only open call, national grant program dedicated to artists creating new work in every discipline. 

Over 25 years, Creative Capital has fundraised for and then awarded $55 million in grants and services via a democratic, external review process to 1,119 artists to create innovative works in the visual arts, performing arts (dance, theater, music/jazz), film, literature, technology, multidisciplinary, and socially engaged forms.

New Board Members

Caroline Black is the executive director of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2025. She began her tenure in 1997 as program director, and for nearly three decades has overseen the Foundation’s robust grant program, which awards grants to visual artists and arts organizations internationally. Black has guided over $76 million in grants, spearheaded the extension of the Foundation’s mission to encompass funding for organizations that directly engage with artists, and supported an expanded range of initiatives advancing the legacies of Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock. Prior to her time at the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Black managed the David Beitzel Gallery in Soho, championing emerging and mid-career artists, and served in the curatorial department at the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, CT, conducting research for future exhibitions. Black serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Artists’ Legacy Foundation, building on her commitment to supporting artists and their work. She is also on the Advisory Committee of the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center in Springs, East Hampton. Black earned her M.A. in Art History from Columbia University and her B.A. and honors in Art History from Connecticut College.

Emily Giacoman is Vice President, Risk & Remediation at American Express, where she leads governance, compliance, and resiliency efforts within Global Merchant Services as the business continues to evolve and scale responsibly. Over more than 15 years at American Express, she has held senior leadership roles across financial strategy, pricing, and large-scale transformation, partnering closely with executive leadership to drive sustainable growth. Emily brings deep experience in board-level financial oversight, strategic planning, and performance management, along with a collaborative and pragmatic leadership style. She serves on the board of Literacy Inc. and previously served on the board of Trestle Art Gallery, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit contemporary art space. Emily holds an MBA with distinction from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management and a BA in Economics and Political Science from Vassar College.

Matthew Keesan is a technology executive, currently serving as VP & GM of Platform at IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), the world’s leading publicly-traded full-stack quantum computing company. He has extensive governance experience in the public and private sectors, currently serving on the boards of BioHealth Innovation, translating biomedical research into the real world; Raaka Chocolate, making single-origin chocolate from bean to bar; and the American Composers Orchestra, growing composers from all over the country. He previously served as founding board member and treasurer for the New York City Network of Worker Cooperatives. Prior to IonQ, he built a full-stack restaurant platform as CTO of Ando, acquired by Uber, and served as fractional CTO and advisor to startups in manufacturing, ecommerce, and identity-as-a-service, including helping to create the technology behind the interactive HBO TV show Mosaic with Steven Soderbergh. He holds patents in quantum compilation, hybrid quantum computation, and quantum control automation, among others, and has co-authored papers appearing in Nature and Physical Review A. Before his career in technology, he was a touring musician.

New Advisory Council Member

Simone DiLaura is a visual artist and creative consultant with 25+ years in the global arts ecosystem, combining a professional studio practice with expertise in artist development, gallery leadership, collection management, and international project execution. She is experienced in strategic advising for artists, collectors, and institutions; managing global exhibitions; decorative and commissioned artworks; and directing large-scale creative initiatives for both private and public clients. Her artwork has been featured in exhibitions and private collections in the U.S. Client projects include international museums, art fairs, and public installations across the U.S., Europe, Middle East, and Asia.

About Creative Capital Foundation

Founded in 1999, Creative Capital champions artistic freedom of expression by providing broad-based, grassroots support for individual artists through its national, open call grant program and services to help artists build sustainable practices. The Creative Capital Award provides artists with up to $50,000 in unrestricted project grant funds for the creation of innovative new work in any discipline. The new State of the Art Prize provides a $10,000 unrestricted artist grant to one artist in every state and territory. The Creative Capital Artist Lab provides online professional development courses free-of-charge for individual artists.

Jason Bailey
Director, Strategy and Audience Engagement
[email protected]