Levi Preston Landis (born July 8, 1982) is an

arts administrator Arts administration (alternatively arts management) is a field in the arts sector that facilitates programming within cultural organizations. Arts administrators are responsible for facilitating the day-to-day operations of the organization as we ...

, musician, manager and festival producer. Since 2016, he has been the executive director of

GoggleWorks Center for the Arts GoggleWorks Center for the Arts is a community art and cultural resource center located in Reading, Pennsylvania. The mission of the GoggleWorks is “to transform lives through unique interactions with art.” Located in the former Willson Go ...

, the largest visual art center in the country.

Biography

After working as a touring musician, Landis graduated from

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...

's MPA program. Early in his career, he founded the community art center Emmaus, Inc, which renovated a large former Elks Lodge into a concert hall, thrift store, music school and bowling alley. From 2008 to 2014, he served as the executive director of the Philadelphia Folksong Society, nonprofit parent of the

Philadelphia Folk Festival The Philadelphia Folk Festival is a folk music festival held annually at Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. The four-night, three-day festival is produced and run by the non-profit Philadelphia Folkson ...

. From 2014 to 2016, a grant from the

William Penn Foundation The William Penn Foundation is a grant-making foundation established in 1945 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by businessman Otto Haas and his wife Phoebe, and initially called the Phoebe Waterman Foundation. It strives to improve "the quality ...

, funded his position as the first Director of Operations for The Center for Art in Wood in Philadelphia. Landis moved to

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; ) is a city in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 95,112 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fourth-most populous ...

in 2016 and became the Executive Director

during its 10th anniversary year.

Music

While his career has focused largely on arts leadership, Levi Landis was also a professional recording artist with the rock band Complete Circle (1994-2004) and a solo artist billed as Levi Landis and The Nobodys (2004-2008), releasing his most recent LP ''Something About Repairs'' in 2006. In 2008 he moved to Philadelphia and began directing the Philadelphia Folksong Society (PFS). During his tenure, the Philadelphia Folk Festival celebrated its 50th anniversary, adding more contemporary acts, and growing attendance to roughly 14,000 visitors per day. Landis added a beer garden with

Yards Brewing Company Yards Brewing Company is a craft brewery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, specializing in ales, particularly those in the Beer in England, English tradition. In 1994 friends Tom Kehoe and Jon Bovit established Yards after producing their own home ...

and two additional stages to the program. In 2012, the Philadelphia Folk Festival was named one of ''Rolling Stone'' Magazine top 19 summer festivals. At the PFS, Landis also launched the Philadelphia Music Co-op, programmed the annual 2nd Street Festival, educational programs, and fundraisers, including Doc Watson's final Philadelphia area performance. After moving to Reading in 2016, Landis continued to produce events, including concerts in association with Reading Blues Festival, Boscov's Berks Jazz Fest, and Berks Country Festival Landis also continues to record and perform with musical acts.

Visual art

Landis first became involved in visual arts at The Center for Art in Wood in 2014, where he superintended the staff, oversaw operations, and developed new funds, including a large grant from the Windgate Foundation. Landis oversees visual art programs at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, including seven large teaching studios in ceramic, hot and warm glass, jewelry, photography, printmaking, and wood; 35 juried artists’ studios, exhibition galleries, and an independent film theatre. During his leadership, GoggleWorks was featured on national TV programs, Huffington Post named the art center one of the top 18 reasons to visit Berks County. He has focused on fundraising to drive new programs at GoggleWorks, which include the A.R.T. program for disabled artists and a new restaurant. Landis has produced or curated over 25 exhibitions in various mediums.

Associated Projects

* 2nd Street Festival, Philadelphia * Arts Festival Reading * Craft Now Philadelphia * Emmaus, Inc. * Floating Festivals * Furniture Society Conference Craft/Facturing * Old City Festival * Philadelphia Folk Festival * Philadelphia Music Co-op * We Need to Talk podcast

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Landis, Levi 1982 births Living people American arts administrators Villanova University alumni