CitySpace has announced Andrea Kunst will fill the role of Capital Campaign Manager for the organization. Andrea will guide the Transformation Campaign, a project to restore and create a flexible performing arts and community space in Easthampton’s Old Town Hall.
Andrea brings 20 years of advancement experience, raising close to thirty million dollars in funding for schools and mission-driven non-profits. After being introduced to the field of development at a Jesuit middle school in Jamaica Plain, MA, Andrea found her calling and has continued to support organizations with strong missions in support of community needs. Prior to retiring from Boston Public Schools, Andrea had spent a decade as the director of advancement for a competency-based alternative high school in Roxbury.
Andrea has worked extensively in many creative fields including writing columns for Boston magazine, teaching technical writing at Boston Architectural Center; managing a jazz club in Cambridge; and serving as board chair for Dorchester Arts Collaborative during its successful opening of Dorchester’s first community art gallery.
"The Transformation project at Old Town Hall speaks to me on many, many levels. I was raised in a town with an old town hall, and it truly was the center of the community, so the nostalgia card was the first one that flipped. The arts have played a critical role in every stage of my life, too, and they have factored into work, play, reflection, and teaching since I wrote my first song when I was 2. Or so I am told. Then, I can’t ignore the fact that my last name means art in German. Quite the legacy. Finally, and most importantly, the renovation project is clearly a community effort. Easthampton is a remarkable place and even in the short time that I have been involved, the support of the city for the arts is unmistakable, and the transformation project will benefit artists, patrons, and businesses throughout the region."
In 2016, Andrea began Cushing Mill, a contracting company for schools and nonprofits in need of advancement services. In that role, Kunst has worked for the Center for Health and Food Law Policy at Harvard University; Fields Corner Main Street in Dorchester, MA; All Dorchester Sports and Leadership; Boston Green Academy in Brighton, MA; and Boston Farms Community Land Trust.
Andrea lives in Dorchester with her childhood sweetheart, Eric, their mastiff, Moses, and Harriett, a Norwegian Forest Cat. Since reuniting just last year, Andrea and Eric are planning a move to western MA within the next couple of years. Andrea received both her B.A. and M.A. degrees in Communications from Emerson College.
"The greatest advantage of being a contractor in the field of advancement is being able to use a variety of skills to support the success of non-profits doing great work. It is often the case that a young or small non-profit focuses all of their expectations on a single source—like grants, or major donors, or events—without looking strategically at the entire scope of the need and then planning how best to meet that need using available resources. It is rare to find an organization like CitySpace with solid leadership passionate about the work; incredible support from the community; realistic expectations; an understanding of the need for sustainability; a default to the inclusion of all constituencies; and an abiding sense of community celebration. My interest was piqued because the Transformation Campaign is an important project in a great community, and allows me to use a career’s worth of experience to help achieve the goal of an enduring renovated arts and performance space."
