Esther Anatolitis’ tenure as Executive Director of the National Association for the Visual Arts will come to an end on August 20. She speaks to Limelight about the highlights of her three years in the role and the challenges yet to come.

NAVA’s outgoing Executive Director Esther Anatolitis and Penelope Benton, who be Acting CEO until February 2021. Photo © Zan Wimberley

Three years feels like a long time in the context of recent events, what have been the biggest changes to the sector over that period?

Time seems to flow in different ways, I mean the last few months of this year have lasted at least three years! I’m seeing in the last three years some much stronger articulations of what best practice is in the arts, and I’m seeing a lot more cohesion at state and national levels among colleagues about what are the best ways to come together to advocate for what’s needed. We’re seeing the differences are growing between local and state governments – the ones that actively position the arts as central to their policy and the ones that don’t – and I think across the country we’re getting...