North Hills Art Center executive director recognized by American Association of University Women

Kim Freithaler, executive director of the North Hills Art Center, has been named the American Association of University Women - North Hills Branch’s 2023 Gateway to Equity Award winner.

Freithaler was cited for her leadership during the covid-19 pandemic during which the North Hills Art Center remained safely open for adult classes and children’s summer camps, gained new members and maintained partnerships with social service agencies.

Even during a brief shutdown, Freithaler said they still managed to do things like put clay work kits in packets and leave them outside on a table in the back of the building to enable people to create.

“She embodies our commitment to achieving equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, or research by promoting healing through creativity for people of all ages and backgrounds who are working through personal life challenges,” the American Association of University Women said in a statement.

Despite the recognition, Freithaler says she did not sit down one day and say “we need to promote this.” Rather, she says she and the North Hills Art Center just fell into it.

“It wasn’t by design,” she said. “We just attracted many people in the community that we felt had these needs — either through loss of a loved one, battling life threatening illnesses or even kids just having trouble fitting in (because) they’re not great at sports, they’re not brilliant but they like to draw.”

But more and more it became obvious to Freithaler that she and the North Hills Art Center were making a difference.

“So, we just tried to key on that and promote that aspect of art to make it more relatable.”

Freithaler, a Queens, N.Y., native, said what she finds extremely gratifying is being able to help people who are struggling. She has enabled the art center to provide free art supplies, classes and opportunities for people to display their work for grieving and disadvantaged children and victims of intimate partner violence.

“One of the first partnerships was with Crisis Center North and they help domestic violence victims and we would have workshops for their clientele and councilors. We could see first hand what a difference it was making just watching the women that would come down,” Freithaler said. “And we started reaching out to other organizations. It applies to all different aspects of society.”

Those organizations included Highmark Caring Place, which works with grieving children and Hello Neighbor, which works with families from war torn countries, helping them assimilate in the Pittsburgh area.

“It’s a wonderful feeling and it’s something that keeps giving back because I’ve been here long enough that we’ve had students come in here,” Freithaler said. “Every year we’ve had a North Hills High School art show in a professional gallery to give them a taste of being an artist and I’ve hired (North Hills) High School students when they have gone on to college and adulthood and I have one working in our pottery studio now. So, it’s nice to see the progression and see how we can foster the next generation of artists here.”