Independent Arts News Reporting Mural Arts Philadelphia Welcomes Aviva Kapust as New Chief Advancement and Impact Officer
Reported on Friday, June 20, 2025
Pictured Above: Aviva Kapust. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Mural Arts Philadelphia.
NEWSROOM POST: PHILADELPHIA, PA
Respected local and national leader known for expanding support, deepening engagement, and advancing mission-driven work.
Philadelphia, PA- Mural Arts Philadelphia proudly announces the appointment of Aviva Kapust as its new Chief Advancement and Impact Officer, effective May 1, 2025. A nationally respected nonprofit executive, designer, and cultural strategist, Kapust brings more than 20 years of experience at the intersection of arts, equity, and community development to one of Philadelphia’s most celebrated civic and cultural institutions.
In this executive leadership role, Kapust will guide organizational strategy that centers impact, sustainability, and long-term vision. She will oversee the integration of fundraising, earned revenue, and institutional communications, ensuring these functions align in service of Mural Arts’ values and programs. Her work will help position the organization for future-facing clarity, financial strength, and deeper engagement with the communities it serves.
Prior to joining Mural Arts, Kapust served as Co-Executive Director of the Culture & Community Power Fund, a $13.2 million national funders’ collaborative advancing culture-based strategies for structural change. She led multi-million-dollar trust-based grantmaking, translocal learning and collaboration for grantee-partners and funders, and supported efforts to strengthen community-rooted cultural ecosystems and shift philanthropic practice.
She previously spent a decade as Executive Director of The Village of Arts and Humanities. Under her leadership, The Village became a nationally recognized hub advancing equitable development, social justice, and creative youth development through cultural strategies. The organization undertook a multi-year transformation of its physical footprint, comprising 14 buildings and 7 art parks, while launching award-winning programs grounded in equity, artistic rigor, and community self-determination. Throughout, the work honored the visionary legacies of founders Lily Yeh, James “Big Man” Maxton, and Arthur Hall.
Kapust is also a former adjunct professor at Temple University and an accomplished public speaker on community-based cultural work. Earlier in her career, she served as a Creative Director at major advertising firms in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. She holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where she was a Civic Scholar, and a BFA in Graphic Design and Photography from the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford.
“Aviva’s career reflects an unwavering commitment to community and artistic excellence,” said Jane Golden, Executive Director of Mural Arts Philadelphia. “She has a proven record of leadership that includes resource development, strategic thinking, and building innovative partnerships and programs. This is not an easy time to be a nonprofit, and I am confident that Aviva’s leadership will be a catalyst for progress at our organization. I know she will be an important addition to the very dedicated team at Mural Arts.”
“It’s an honor to join Mural Arts at a time when creativity is urgently needed—not as decoration, but as a driver of systems change,” said Kapust. “I believe everyone has the right to shape the places and conditions they live within, and that art—both in process and outcome—is one of the most powerful tools we have to do that. I’m proud to join a team of visionary artists and cultural strategists at an institution that has long recognized creativity as essential to equity, belonging, and public imagination.”
With deep roots in Philadelphia’s arts and social justice landscape, Kapust’s appointment marks an exciting new chapter for Mural Arts as it continues to grow its programs and presence at both the local and national levels.
About Mural Arts Philadelphia
Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation’s largest public art program of its kind, dedicated to the belief that art ignites change. For over 40 years, Mural Arts has united artists and communities through a collaborative and equitable process, creating over 4,000 artworks that have transformed public spaces and individual lives. Mural Arts aims to support collective agency, stimulate dialogue, and build bridges through projects that attract artists from Philadelphia and around the world, and through programs that focus on youth education, restorative justice, mental health and wellness, and public art preservation. Popular mural tours offer a firsthand glimpse into the inspiring stories behind Mural Arts’ unparalleled collection, earning Philadelphia worldwide recognition as the “Mural Capital of the World.” For more information, call 215-685-0750 or visit muralarts.org.
