BRITTANY NOVOTNY: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Brittany Novotny started as Director for the Filley in January of 2014. Relocating from Colorado, Brittany moved to Pratt to begin working for the museum and join her husband Steven Novotny, a Pratt native. She holds a Master of Arts (M.A) in Arts Administration from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, with coursework from the #1 ranked non-profit management program in the Nation. Novotny completed a Bachelor of Music in trumpet performance in 2007 at the University of Denver and began her arts administration career working in donor and public relations at the Lamont School of Music. She worked in event management and served as the concert house manager in addition to assisting with marketing materials, development, and serving as the editor in chief for a newsletter publication.
Novotny’s passion for visual art stems from growing up as the daughter of Tim Joseph, a sculptor and bronze foundry owner. She was also fortunate to be surrounded by the drawings, paintings, and sculpture of her grandfather William Joseph, artist and head of the art department at Loretta Heights College. Her brother, Qwist Joseph a ceramic artist and sculptor, has also been a strong influence. Family meetings to organize art shows, openings, exhibits, and collaborating with museum and gallery owners became Novotny’s motivation to pursue a career path in museums. Novotny has always pledged to ensure that art and creativity remain an integral component of education.
Novotny’s inspiration to study non-profits and arts administration came from her experiences in starting her own trumpet studio and an internship she served with The Denver Brass. Gaining experience with grants and operations at this non-profit she learned of the opportunity to specialize in business in the arts, and the opportunity to study successful non-profit organization mechanics. During her time in Bloomington, she worked as an intern in the finance and administration departments for the accredited Indiana University Art Museum.
Novotny’s research interests include cultural facility development in rural areas and creative placemaking. She is elated to be working with the incredible team at The Filley. Brittany was appointed by the governor to serve on the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission in 2019.
CARA HANSON: DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Cara Hanson joined The Filley staff as Director of Development in April of 2024. Cara graduated from the University of Oklahoma with an undergraduate degree in journalism and worked as an account manager for Estee Lauder Cosmetics for ten years before returning to OU to pursue a graduate degree in Construction Science. Cara worked in the construction industry for over 20 years in project management for several private companies, The University of Vermont, and the United States Postal Service. In 2023, Cara and her husband Greg retired to Pratt where Cara is enjoying the Pratt community and working with the talented Filley staff in the world of art.
GRACIE BRONSON: PART TIME CURATOR
Gracie Bronson
Museum Associate Gracie Bronson started working at the Filley in an official capacity in November of 2020. She has been involved with the museum for several years as an oil painting teacher and a member of the gift shoppe committee. Gracie, a native of Mississippi, graduated from Blue Mountain College in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Art and then went on to East Tennessee State University to pursue graduate studies. She has been a resident of Pratt County since her marriage to life-long Kansan Eric Bronson. Eric and Gracie have two daughters – Sophie, age 9 and Emma, age 7. Gracie discovered a love for oil painting in college and continues to create in this medium whenever possible. In her spare time, Gracie also enjoys playing piano, singing, reading great books, photographing and studying the amazing array of Kansas wildflowers on the land around her country home, and taking long walks with her daughters and her dog – Pepper.
Martha Cortés Simons: Part Time – Lead Operations & Programming Coordinator
Martha Cortés comes to us from Southwest Michigan where she worked for Calvin University managing the Federal Loan Program for over 10 years. She moved to Kingman, Kansas in 2016 and currently resides there with her husband on their farm surrounded by cats, cows and crops. She writes and creates jewelry in her spare time and loves learning about history.
About our Namesake:
VERNON AND “MIMI” FILLEY
VERNON AND “MIMI” FILLEY
Emily “Mimi” Horwath became interested in art during an elementary school field trip to the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska. After visiting the museum and noticing that many of the works of art were donated, Mimi’s dream became to collect art which could someday be donated to a museum to enhance the lives of others.
Mimi and Dr. Vernon W. Filley were married in 1947 after Vernon completed medical school. They settled in Pratt a few years later where Dr. Filley served as a surgeon throughout his lifetime. The Filley’s owned a second home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Mimi became personally acquainted with many artists and gallery owners. She commissioned, bought, and collected art in the Southwest style. Her purchases were based solely on whether she liked the art piece.
Mimi’s heart is in Pratt. The Vernon Filley Art Museum fulfills Mimi’s dream to have the Filley art collection remain in Pratt. The art museum also honors the vision to support constantly rotating guest exhibitions and offer art classes.