Welcome our new Executive Director Liam Whitworth
A new chapter for the Hoffman Center for the Arts
With a deep respect for place and a forward-looking creative lens, Liam steps into this role ready to shape what’s next at the Hoffman Center for the Arts. Liam’s approach centers connection, curiosity, and experiences that feel meaningful for the whole community.
The Hoffman Center for the Arts is thrilled to announce our new Executive Director, Liam Whitworth. Liam will join HCA on May 5th and our out-going executive director, India Downes-Le Guin, will stay on with HCA through the end of May to ensure a seamless transition.
Raised in rural Oregon, Liam brings a passion for connecting people through art and looks forward to working with our community to design creative, immersive experiences in Manzanita.
Liam brings a strong background in non-profit leadership and building community around art to HCA. He is the founder of the Future Prairie artist collective, which showcases and pays working class creatives to make new art in the Pacific Northwest. He previously served as a Communications Manager for the City of Portland’s Auditor’s Office and a Senior Community Manager for the Regional Arts and Culture Council. He is committed to building meaningful public engagement through the arts.
A poet, experimental filmmaker, and curator, Liam’s work has been featured in Oregon Humanities, Tin House, and Lambda Literary, and screened at over 55 film festivals. He has performed at The Moth, the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Marina Abramovic's 2011 gala performance of "The Artist Is Present". Whitworth was the inaugural Artist in Residence at Portland Parks and Recreation, Poet in Residence for Oregon State University's Trillium Project. In 2025, he served as a New Media Fellow at Portland Art Museum’s Center for an Untold Tomorrow. Previously, he was a 2021 Fellow at Lambda Literary and a 2018, 2021, and 2025 Fellow at the McCormack Writing Center.
We are excited for Liam to join our community and help continue our legacy of creativity, learning, and connection!
