22 Jan Introducing the Timothy M. Andrews Artistic Directorship
With endless gratitude, The Arts Council of Princeton announces a gift from local philanthropist Timothy M. Andrews to establish the Timothy M. Andrews Artistic Directorship.
The endowment gift will support the ongoing role of the Arts Council of Princeton’s Artistic Director, a position central to the cultural strength of the ACP and the entire Princeton area community. The new gift is in addition to Andrews’ commitment earlier this year to extend by five years his longstanding financial support for the Anne Reeves Artist-in-Residence program.
“Tim’s generosity and support for the arts in Princeton unites the entirety of our community,” said Adam Welch, Executive Director of the Arts Council of Princeton. “Tim is the ultimate spokesperson for the power of art and the impact art can have on one’s life. This gift affirms the role of art and the place of the Arts Council in the health and happiness of Princeton and beyond. He applies thoughtful intentionality in everything he does – a real curator.”
Andrews, an integral part of the Arts Council of Princeton family, is a champion for emerging artists. For 16 years, he has generously sponsored many of the Council’s initiatives. As member and president of the Arts Council’s Board of Trustees, he played an indispensable role in bringing the new Paul Robeson Center for the Arts to life. For the past ten years, Andrews has directed his talents to the Arts Council of Princeton’s Advisory Board, offering thoughtful and ongoing support and guidance. Throughout the most challenging periods of COVID, Andrews creatively maintained and broadened the Arts Council of Princeton’s audience through his “In Conversation” digital interview series, which attracted thousands of viewers worldwide.
His tireless work ethic and tremendous spirit have benefited so many in our community and well beyond. He was a member of the McCarter Theatre board for ten years and currently sits on the boards of the Ball State University Foundation and the Moore College of Art and Design. Andrews also serves on the Leadership Advisory Council of ProPublica.
Andrews is president and chief executive officer of the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) in Philadelphia. He joined ASI 20 years ago and transformed a largely print business into a digital and events business platform with 350 employees and a global network of 25,000 suppliers, distributors, and decorators in the $26 billion promotional products industry.
Upon graduating from Ball State with a journalism and economics degree, Andrews joined Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal, where he served 16 years as an editorial, product marketing and technology development executive. His final role there was as President and Chief Executive of a Dow Jones-Reuters joint venture serving media customers in 40 countries.
While Andrews has had a distinguished professional career, his greatest passion is supporting and engaging in the magic of the arts. Growing up poor in rural Indiana, Andrews’s life was forever changed when he visited the nearby city of Columbus, and experienced the transformative power of architecture and art. His philanthropic interests span from Hope, Indiana, where he grew up, to Ball State to Princeton, N.J., where he spent more than two decades. He now lives in nearby Newtown, PA.
"The Arts Council of Princeton changes lives – through its programming, its outreach around the community, the public art that brightens so many neighborhoods, the opportunities for children and adults to express themselves in word, clay, paint, ink and all sorts of other media," Andrews said. "I've been honored to support many of its programs through the years and excited to underwrite the Artistic Director's vision now and into the future."