Interim Executive Director of Pyramid Hill Appointed by Board of Trustees

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum's board of trustees, today announced that Raphaela Platow has been appointed Interim Executive Director of the nonprofit arts organization. Platow officially joins the Park on August 20, 2026.

She will succeed Sarah Templeton Wilson, who is stepping down from her role as Executive Director to pursue external opportunities. During the past four years, the Park expanded its schedule of temporary art exhibitions and educational programming, implemented organizational and systems improvements, increased its commitment to environmentally-sound landscape management practices, opened Fortified Hill to the public, and launched a restoration project of its monumental sculptures, including the iconic Passage by John Henry which welcomes visitors at the park’s entrance. Wilson joined the Park as its first Development Director in 2022 and was named Executive Director in January 2024.

Raphaela Platow's appointment comes at a historic moment for Pyramid Hill, which will celebrate its 30th Anniversary in 2027. The Park has earned a reputation as a leader among sculpture parks due to its significant acreage, unique permanent collection, commitment to inclusion and public engagement, and robust environmental practices. The Park also stewards Fortified Hill, a 2,000-year-old Hopewell earthworks enclosure in Butler County acquired by the Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation in 2019.

Having begun her arts leadership career over two decades ago, Platow brings to this role at Pyramid Hill a successful track record of creative and collaborative leadership, a passion for the Park's sculpture, antiquities, and grounds, and a deep appreciation for the Park’s distinctive combination of sculpture, antiquities, landscape, and community engagement. As Interim Executive Director, she will work closely with Pyramid Hill’s staff and board to provide continuity and leadership during this transition, support the staff in advancing the Park’s priorities and operations, and help position the organization for its next chapter as the Board undertakes a national search for a permanent Executive Director.

"We are pleased to name Raphaela Platow as the Interim Executive Director of Pyramid Hill at this important juncture in the evolution of the Park," said Hyland. "She has impressive industry knowledge and is a proven leader who can successfully work with our talented staff and Board, as well as our many community partners. We are confident that she will provide thoughtful and highly professional stewardship during the transition as we move toward Pyramid Hill’s 30th Anniversary and the future.”

Said Platow, “Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park is an extraordinary place where art, nature, and layers of human history come together. Visitors can encounter monumental contemporary sculpture alongside objects from ancient cultures and the remarkable history of Fortified Hill. It is a place that invites us to slow down and look more closely, but also to wander, play, discover, and be surprised. As Pyramid Hill approaches its 30th Anniversary, I am honored to support its talented staff and Board during this transition and to work alongside them as the organization prepares for its next chapter. I look forward to celebrating the Park’s remarkable legacy and welcoming visitors from Hamilton, across Greater Cincinnati, and beyond to experience all that Pyramid Hill has to offer.”

The trustees of Pyramid Hill will undertake a comprehensive assessment of the Park’s art, activities, facilities, and mission and launch a nationwide search for its next permanent Executive Director. The search will include participation from the Park's Board and staff, as well as community leaders, and will be conducted in partnership with a search firm to be named.

About Raphaela Platow

Raphaela Platow is a nationally recognized museum director, curator, executive coach, and leadership advisor whose career spans more than two decades of institutional leadership, philanthropy, exhibition making, and organizational transformation. Throughout her career, she has led major fundraising initiatives supporting exhibitions, operations, capital projects, endowments, and institutional growth while guiding organizations through periods of strategic growth, innovation, and change.

Most recently, Platow served as Executive Director of the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky. During her tenure, she led a comprehensive reinstallation of the museum's permanent collection galleries, expanded the interpretation and presentation of the museum's contemporary and Native American collections, strengthened community engagement, and advanced major fundraising efforts for exhibitions, operations, capital projects, and long-term institutional priorities. She also helped realize the Elizabeth P. and Frederick K. Cressman Art Park, which opened in October 2025 as a major outdoor destination integrating contemporary sculpture, landscape, and public gathering space.

Previously, Platow served for fourteen years as the Alice & Harris Weston Director and Chief Curator of the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati. Under her leadership, the CAC launched an internationally recognized exhibition and performance program featuring artists from around the world, completed a transformational renovation of the museum's lobby, reimagined the Creativity Center and UnMuseum as dynamic spaces for learning and participation, substantially expanded audiences and philanthropy, and deepened the museum's role as a civic and cultural resource.

Earlier in her career, Platow held leadership and curatorial positions at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University, the Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh, Kunstforum München, and Projektraum Berlin. Alongside her museum leadership, Platow is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), executive coach, and leadership advisor. She partners with CEOs, nonprofit executives, and senior leadership teams navigating growth, complexity, and organizational change. Her work combines strategic leadership with deep self-awareness and a belief that sustainable organizational excellence begins with how leaders think, relate, and lead.

Platow earned her M.A. in Art History and Business Administration from Humboldt University Berlin, her B.A. in Art History and Economics from Albert-Ludwig University in Freiburg, and completed additional studies in French civilization, art history, and philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris. She lives in the Northside neighborhood of Cincinnati with her husband, Jeff Groh, and their two children.