Laura Creed.
Ballroom Marfa has appointed outgoing LAXART (Los Angeles) Director of Development Laura Creed as its new Executive Director. Creed starts her position in April; she will support Ballroom’s mission to expand its programming beyond Texas.
Creed succeeds Laura Copelin, who will remain on staff as Curator-At-Large through June. Copelin has been Ballroom Marfa’s Executive Director since 2015. Copelin has recently been appointed Interim Executive Director and Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tucson, Arizona.
States Creed about her appointment: “I am overjoyed to be leading such a dynamic institution as it nears its 20th year. Ballroom has a unique identity that allows it a certain freedom and agility — which is essential at a time when cultural institutions are being questioned and reconsidered. Since its beginning, Ballroom has had an enviable track record of mounting shows that promote inclusivity and diversity. In this way, Ballroom rounds out the landscape by championing work by women, artists of color, and the LGBTQ+ community. I look forward to strengthening this spirit and further establishing Ballroom as a beacon in West Texas.”
Before LAXART, Creed was an independent consultant to nonprofits and foundations including The Mistake Room in Los Angeles, Desert X, and Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary in Vienna, Austria. Creed has also worked in development and curatorial positions at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Kenneth Armitage Foundation in London, and spent five years in museum education in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Barnes Foundation. Her professional career began after receiving an M.A. in art history from The Courtauld Institute of Art in London.
Ballroom Marfa
Says Ballroom Co-Founder and Artistic Director, Fairfax Dorn: “We are ecstatic to have Laura Creed lead Ballroom Marfa into the future. With more than 18 years of experience in the art world, Laura is a proven leader who will bring a strong vision to this new chapter in our history. LAXART and Ballroom share a similar ethos of engaging contemporary public issues and new audiences and we feel very fortunate to have Laura on board to drive our mission forward.”
For more on Ballroom Marfa, please visit its website here.
