Aperture Appoints Esther McGowan as Director of Development

Aperture announces the recent appointment of Esther McGowan as Director of Development. In this position, McGowan will lead fundraising initiatives and build philanthropic support for Aperture’s celebrated photography program, including Aperture magazine, an extensive catalog of photobooks, traveling exhibitions, limited-edition prints, the annual Portfolio Prize, and the Paris Photo–Aperture PhotoBook Awards, as well as partnerships and public events.

As a key member of senior staff, McGowan will collaborate on a new strategic plan, helping set the future direction of Aperture and grow funding in support of it. She will lead the development team and work closely with the Executive Director and Board of Trustees to advance Aperture’s capital campaign, supporting the transition to a new, permanent home on 380 Columbus Avenue on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in 2024.

“Along with our Board of Trustees and colleagues, we warmly welcome Esther McGowan to Aperture,” stated Sarah Meister, Executive Director, Aperture. “With an accomplished record of building engagement and support for artists and mission-driven arts organizations, Esther joins us at a pivotal moment in Aperture’s history. She will play a vital role in advancing fundraising to activate our capital campaign as we prepare for our new home and continue to broaden and nurture our growing community around photography.”

“I have long been a fan of Aperture’s publications and exhibitions, and have been inspired by photography from a young age,” added McGowan. “Aperture’s role in the field is essential, and I am thrilled to contribute to this important work and help expand its reach.”

Before joining Aperture, McGowan had served as Executive Director for Visual AIDS since 2017, and as Associate Director since 2012, where she developed strategic partnerships, initiated Board growth, increased staff, expanded programming and archival practice, and created diversified revenue for the HIV/AIDS arts organization. She has held positions as Development Director and worked as a freelance fundraiser for multiple nonprofit cultural groups, including the Center for Fiction, Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, Arts International, and the Alliance for the Arts.