Christina Woods

About Christina Woods

Christina Woods is a prominent arts leader and advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, based in Duluth, Minnesota. She serves as the Executive Director of the Duluth Art Institute (DAI), where she has significantly transformed the organization to better reflect and serve the diverse community it inhabits. Leadership at the Duluth Art InstituteAppointed as Executive Director in 2018, Woods became the first Anishinaabe leader of the DAI. Under her guidance, the institute has undergone substantial changes, including shifting from a predominantly white board to one that is 60% BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), making it a BIPOC-led organization for the first time in its 113-year history. She has also implemented practices that allow artists of color to contribute to the narratives accompanying their work, ensuring authentic representation and interpretation. National and Statewide RolesWoods’s influence extends beyond the DAI. In 2022, she was appointed to the U.S. Senate’s Curatorial Advisory Board, a 13-member panel that advises on the Senate’s art and artifact collections. Nominated by Senator Amy Klobuchar, Woods brings her expertise in decolonizing art narratives to a national platform. At the state level, she serves on the Minnesota State Arts Board and has been involved with the Capitol Arts Exhibitions Committee and the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board’s Task Force on Monuments and Statues. Her roles in these committees focus on inclusivity and re-examining historical narratives within public art. Background and EducationA member of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Woods has a rich background in education and nonprofit leadership. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master of Education in Leadership from the University of Minnesota. Before her tenure at the DAI, she served as Executive Director at the Damiano Center and held interim leadership roles at the Duluth YWCA. She has also been an adjunct professor at the College of St. Scholastica. Recognition and AdvocacyWoods’s commitment to social justice and the arts has earned her numerous accolades, including being named one of AARP’s “50 Over 50” influential Minnesotans in 2019. She is also a Blandin Foundation Rural Leader alumna and conducts workshops on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion through her consultancy, Diversity Consulting. Christina Woods continues to be a driving force in reshaping the arts landscape to be more inclusive and representative of diverse communities.

Experience

1. Chairperson of the Board

   New Native Theatre

   Aug 2023 — Present

Education

• University of Minnesota

  Masters of Education, Teacher Leadership, Educational Leadership and Administration, General

  1995 — 1997

• University of Minnesota

  Bachelor of Science, Education, Educational Leadership and Administration, General

  1989 — 1991