ABOUT

The National Council of Arts Administrators is an organization whose primary purpose is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, the identification of problems, and the generation of shared solutions to the issues confronting arts administrators in higher education today. 

2026 CONFERENCE

SHIFTING GROUNDS
53rd Annual Conference
September 23-25, 2026
Hosted by the University of Arkansas School of Art

The 53rd National Council of Arts Administrators conference brings together arts leaders to consider how we build resilient and sustainable futures for our institutions and communities. Against the backdrop of Northwest Arkansas’s rapidly growing and dynamic arts ecosystem, the University of Arkansas School
of Art hosts this year’s gathering to explore themes of sustainable
innovation, access, and community engagement. Together, we will reflect on the shifting grounds of arts administration and imagine how we can thrive collectively while shaping the evolving landscape of higher education and the arts.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Jim Hopfensperger dedicated his life to the belief that art and design could transform individuals, institutions, and communities. Over a distinguished career that spanned more than fifty years, Jim’s work as a master furniture maker was celebrated in major institutions across the globe—from the Detroit Institute of Arts to the Auckland Memorial Museum. His artistry was defined not just by elegance and innovation, but by care—care for materials, for process, and for the stories his work helped to tell.

But perhaps Jim’s greatest legacy lies in the lives he touched and the leaders he helped shape.

Jim served in influential academic and nonprofit roles, including as President of the College Art Association and the National Council of Arts Administrators, and as a passionate advocate for young artists through the Michigan Youth Arts Festival. His academic appointments—from Penn State and Michigan State to Western Michigan University—were marked by visionary leadership, generosity of spirit, and an unshakable commitment to the future of arts education.

Jim didn’t just lead programs—he built community. He mentored with compassion, challenged with integrity, and always made room at the table for emerging voices. His consulting and coaching work in his later years continued to reflect that same core belief: that arts leadership, done well, is service.

At the 52nd Annual Conference of the National Council of Arts Administrators, Collective Futures in Detroit, we gathered in deep appreciation and remembrance as we dedicated the Jim Hopfensberger Fellowship for Emerging Arts Administrators to Jim's wife, Jane—a lasting tribute to a remarkable artist, educator, leader, and human being whose influence will continue to shape the future of our field.

The Jim Hopfensperger Fellowship for Emerging Arts Administrators will support and uplift early-career professionals, helping them develop the skills, insight, and resilience needed to lead in today’s ever-evolving landscape. It is our way of extending Jim’s legacy into the future—by investing in those he cared most about: the next generation.

In dedicating this fellowship in Jim’s name, we honor more than his accomplishments. We honor his values: mentorship, equity, excellence, and the profound belief that the next generation of arts administrators deserves every opportunity to thrive.

Though Jim is no longer with us, his influence endures—in the galleries and classrooms he helped shape, in the careers he nurtured, and now, through this fellowship, in the emerging leaders who will carry his vision forward.

May this fellowship stand as a light, a legacy, and a promise—to remember, to lead, and to lift others, just as Jim did.