Ann McTigue

ARTSWorcester Bids a Fond Farewell to Executive Director Ann McTigue

BY LEON NIGROSH

August 2005 – At the age of 10, little red-haired Ann Morrison emigrated from Lynn to Worcester because her dad had gotten a job at Coppus Engineering. It was already clear that Ann liked to make art. In elementary school she had always been the one asked to decorate the bulletin board or make signs. So she continued to take art classes in high school but with no real thoughts about the future. In fact, she married right after graduation and soon was mom to two daughters. After being widowed in 1980, she got her certificate from the Clark University School at the Worcester Art Museum and then taught kids’ classes at WAM for the next 15 years. During that time she remarried and became the Ann McTigue we know and love today.

Ann is also a singer. She grew up in a house filled with music. “But,” she says, “we weren’t like the Von Trapps or anything.” She sang backup for several local bands and eventually started a swing band, Little Red and the Riders. From 1994 to ’98 Ann ran the youth programs (as well as the biannual craft fairs) at the Worcester Center for Crafts and then came to ARTSWorcester as its Program Coordinator. About a year and a half ago, she gracefully stepped in to fill the suddenly vacant Executive Director position at AW, helping to pull the organization out of its crisis.

But now she’s leaving town. “For the first time since I left my parents’ house, I’m going to be living in a single-family home.” In August, she’s heading for Houston, Texas, for “new opportunities both personal and professional.” As for her thoughts on ARTSWorcester, she says, “It was a fabulous gig. It expanded my horizons, made me gain confidence. I worked with a great bunch of people.” Although she’ll be more than 1800 miles away, Ann promises that we haven’t seen the last of her yet ~ and for that, we’re thankful!