Community in Dialogue: Michael A. Butler

Michael Butler is an artist, historian, and documentarian based in Sag Harbor, New York. Born on Staten Island and raised in Queens, his family has been connected to Sag Harbor for seven generations, spanning over a century. His great-great-great-grandfather lived in Oyster Bay in 1785. His father, Charles Butler, summered in Sag Harbor beginning in the 1920’s and relocated there full-time in 1982, while his mother, Margaret Burwell, began summering there with her family in the 1930s.

He has served on the board of the Eastville Community Historical Society for more than 20 years, holding positions as president, vice president, and recording secretary. Butler is currently chairperson of the St. David AME Zion Church Cemetery and serves as board secretary for the Long Island Museum of American Art History and Carriages in Stony Brook, and is a lifetime member of the NAACP. Additionally, Butler is a former board member of the East End AIDS Wellness Project, a former member of East Hampton’s Anti-Bias Task Force, and a former member of the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreation Center.

Melanie Crader joined Guild Hall in Summer of 2023 as the inaugural director of visual arts as Guild Hall opened its newly renovated galleries. Recently, she served as deputy director at the Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, NY, where she also served as interim director. For 8 years prior, Melanie held the role of Director of Exhibitions and Publication Management at the Hammer Museum, UCLA, Los Angeles, where she was responsible for financial and administrative oversight of all curatorial initiatives, exhibitions, and publications. Managing the institution’s renowned exhibition program, she collaborated with local, national, and international institutional partners including The Met, Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Brooklyn Museum, MCA Chicago; Walker Art Center, Stedelijk Museum, and Pinacoteca de São Paulo.

During six years at the Menil Collection in Houston, she managed the operating budget and exhibition program, led a variety of special projects including institutional publications, oversaw major digital infrastructure initiatives, and implemented long-term budget planning for building projects and a capital campaign. Before entering the non-profit sector, Melanie worked in the marketing and communications department of an international investment company.

Originally from Louisiana, Melanie Crader, an artist and educator who taught at the university level, holds MFA from Ohio University, Athens; BA from McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA; and attended the Banco Santander W30 Program, UCLA Anderson School of Management. She is a member of the American Exhibition Organizers and served on the Steering Committee from 2017 to 2021. For several years, she served on the Board of Directors and was an Artist Board Member of DiverseWorks Art Space, Houston.

Photo: Lori Hawkins