Dashboard U.S., the roving organization known for transforming disused properties with edgy exhibitions, is growing its staff and programming capacity with the announcement of two newly created positions. Oshun Layne, who recently curated Dashboard’s “Golden Hour” exhibition at Oakland Cemetery, has been named director of operations, and Hannah Leathers, Dashboard’s communications manager since 2017, has been promoted to director of special projects. They will work alongside cofounders Beth Malone and Courtney Hammond.
For the past four years, Layne has been director of galleries for the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation in New York. In 2010-12, she was coordinator of education volunteers at the High Museum of Art, and she had an education internship in 2013 at the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts in Brooklyn. A graduate of Howard University with a degree in anthropology, she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in urban policy and planning with an emphasis on nonprofit management at Hunter College in New York. In 2016, she participated in the American Express Leadership Academy.
“Oshun is bringing a ton of experience to this position,” says Dashboard executive director Beth Malone. “She’s also showing up with her unique brand of wisdom and grace, and her killer sense of humor. We’re thrilled she’s joining us and know she’ll help us attain some very ambitious goals.”
As director of special projects, Leathers will be instrumental in administrative, strategic, and artistic capacities for Dashboard’s upcoming projects in Los Angeles, Miami, Macon, Detroit, Reno, Atlanta, New York, Denver, Tokyo and London. From 2015 to 2017, she worked for the City of Atlanta’s Public Art Program, where she spearheaded the Mural Bike Rack Program and was a project leader for Elevate Atlanta, the 7-day public art exhibition in Downtown Atlanta; Journey to Freedom, a mural project featuring women from the Civil Rights Movement; and several other large-scale public art projects.
Hannah holds a BFA in studio art and art education and an MA in art education from the University of Georgia.
Leathers says, “Courtney and Beth have carved out an incredibly unique niche organization; one that turns arts administration into a true art form. They are two of the most radically creative, smart, and caring people I know. Such good things are on the horizon for Dash, and I feel so lucky to be a part of it.“
According to Dash’s press release, the two new directors “will increase capacity and continue Dashboard’s international trajectory.” Since 2015, Dashboard has produced 35 major art projects in 13 U.S. cities, and commissioned new work by 169 artists. In 2017, Dashboard projects invested $700,000 in local economies around the country.
