Karla Hostetler, executive director of The Mariposa Museum and World Culture Center, is stepping down to pursue other personal and professional opportunities.
“It’s never easy to close an important chapter, especially one as full of meaning and connection as this one with the Mariposa has been for me,” Hostetler stated in a release announcing her departure. “I take with me memories of many wonderful collaborations, inspiring presenters and performances, great audiences, hardworking staff and board, and generous support. I’m proud to have been part of the journey of this unique organization so in tune with the issues of our time. I am looking forward to seeing where the Mariposa will go in its own next chapter.”
Hostetler has been with the Mariposa since 2012. She steered the organization through COVID-19, including developing new programming for Zoom.
“We regret losing Karla, who has brought more than a decade of exceptional leadership to the Mariposa,” stated David Blair, co-chair of the Mariposa board. “We know she will continue, as she has at the Mariposa, to make a meaningful contribution to building a more peaceful and more just world.”
Hostetler’s background had been in working with cultural organizations and government agencies around the world on strategies to preserve cultural heritage and include marginalized people, especially artisans, in economic opportunity.
At the Mariposa, she led the initiative to open a new branch in Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, centering the stories and art of African-Americans and the African diaspora.
She also partnered with organizations as the Women of Color Quilters Network, the Social Justice Collaboration Quilts Project, the Kopanang Community Trust in South Africa, Honor the Earth, Rush Arts and Def Poetry Jam, the Ashley Bryan Center in Maine and universities, museums and cultural organizations across the U.S.
Mariposa board members are reaching out to museum members and other stakeholders to discuss future directions for the Mariposa, which celebrated its 22nd birthday on July 1.