ABOUT US
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WE BELIEVE
A diverse organization is more successful than a homogenous one.
People from the global majority need long-term and specific support in a predominantly white art industry.
People should be paid a living wage.
People are what drive an organization.
OUR MISSON
VERGE is committed to identifying and supporting qualified job-seekers who have historically been underrepresented in the arts as they seek to advance the best business practices of art galleries and museums.
In doing so, we reconfigure how underserved populations connect to, and are supported by, art galleries and museums. We unlock the potential that drives growth while continuing to forge and maintain industry-wide relationships built on proven success, expertise, and trust. We inspire and nurture breakthrough ideas. And we commit to paying it forward.
OUR VALUES
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OUR FOUNDERS
VERGE is led by professionals who hold decades of experience in the art and culture industry across for-profit and non-profit sectors, with specialized expertise in engaging with and advocating for historically underrepresented populations.
Lise K. Ragbir (she/her)
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Lise has dedicated her 20-year career to creating access to a range of art experiences. She has worked with corporate and public collections, non- and for-profit organizations, and organized exhibitions featuring artists Dawoud Bey, Genevieve Gaignard, Jacob Lawrence, and Deborah Roberts, among others. She is the co-editor of Collecting Black Studies: The Art of Material Culture (2020), and her essays about race, identity, immigration, and cultural representation have appeared in Hyperallergic, Frieze, Artnet, The Guardian, Time Magazine, USA Today, The Boston Globe and other publications. Lise is a graduate of Harvard University’s Museum Studies program.
Ola Mobolade (she/her)
Co-Founder & Managing Director
A recognized thought leader on the evolving global cultural landscape, Ola has led DEIA initiatives for numerous contemporary art galleries, including Hauser & Wirth, David Kordansky Gallery, Pace, and David Zwirner. She has also conducted multicultural studies for Fortune 500 companies such as McDonald’s, The Coca-Cola Companies, Google, Facebook, MTV Networks, and others. Ola is the co-author of the ground-breaking book, Marketing to the New Majority: Strategies for a Diverse World, which has been featured on NPR as well as in Forbes and The Economist, among other outlets. She holds dual degrees from Harvard University in Psychology and Afro-American Studies.
Julia V. Hendrickson
SHRM-SCP (she/her)
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
A well-rounded arts and human resources administrator, Julia brings experience in people and project management via commercial galleries and non-profit museums. As the Managing Director at David Kordansky Gallery, with Ola Mobolade and others Julia spearheaded the gallery’s cultural change efforts, earning a feature in The New York Times. Through her hiring, recruitment, and inclusion work, she led the growth of the gallery from a predominantly white institution to a more diverse, multi-cultural team across Los Angeles, New York City, and in Asia. As a result, in a period of rapid growth (a 42% expansion in headcount), turnover decreased and retention increased. Julia is a Senior Certified Professional with the Society for Human Resource Management, and holds a Master’s degree in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London.
COMMUNITY
A warm and hearty VERGE thank you to our families, friends, colleagues, communities, and other loved ones who have advised, supported, and challenged us along the way.
Design & Branding: Planthouse Studio
Photography: Hakeem Adewumi
Development: Shaleiah Fox, Philanthropic Strategist
Business Development: Mel Comer
PRESS
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