Artpace director resigns

Regine Basha, hired in January as executive director of Artpace after a yearlong search, resigned Tuesday for health reasons.

The 43-year-old curator and writer will undergo major back surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation process.

“So she decided it was best to resign her position,” deputy director Mary Heathcott said.

Basha was unavailable for comment, but praised the downtown “art laboratory” in a statement.

“Being on the ground these past months has only deepened my appreciation for the organization, which made my decision even more difficult,” she said. “I fully support Artpace and look forward to a continuing friendship.”

A new national search for a director will begin soon. In the meantime, Heathcott will head operations.

“With Mary at the helm, Artpace is programmatically and fiscally solid,” said J. Travis Capps, Jr., chairman of Artpace's board of directors.

Capps said Basha, a graduate of the inaugural class of the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College who has organized exhibitions at arts institutions from Cairo to Marfa, will be missed.

“The entire Board of Directors joins me in wishing her well with her treatment and future endeavors,” he said.