Ariel Fristoe

Ariel Fristoe is a national leader in community engagement and business model innovation in the arts. Ariel is the founder and Artistic Director of Out of Hand Theater, winner of The New York Times Best Theater of the year, the Bloomberg Public Art Challenge, and the Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities. Out of Hand works at the intersection of art, social justice, and civic engagement. They advance community issues through programs that combine theater with information and conversation. Ariel leads Emory’s Concentration in Arts Management, and she’s been an Innovator in Residence at The Hatchery. She is published in the International Journal of Arts Management and American Theater Magazine. Harvard Business School published a case study on Out of Hand’s business model. Ariel is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta and a LINK Trip delegate. The AJC named her an Everyday Hero, and she’s won the Women of Influence Award and been named one of Georgia’s Most Influential Leaders and Atlanta's Most Powerful Leaders. In 2025, she won Emory's Entrepreneur Award and the Research Impact Award from the Society of Arts Entrepreneurship Education.