Staff

The Live Art Development Agency is a small organisation with four permanent members of staff.

 

The Live Art Development Agency was set up by Lois Keidan and Catherine Ugwu in 1999, and Lois Keidan has been the Director ever since. We often work with freelance project directors who are responsible for delivering specific Agency projects.

 

Current Staff:

Lois Keidan is a co-founder and the Director of the Live Art Development Agency. She was Director of Live Arts at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London from 1992 to 1997 where she devised a year round programme of new performance and initiated numerous new ventures for established and emerging artists. Prior to the ICA, she was responsible for national policy and provision for Performance Art and interdisciplinary practices at the Arts Council of Great Britain. She contributes articles on performance to a range of journals and publications and regularly gives talks and presentations on performance at festivals, colleges, venues and conferences in Britain and internationally. She sits on a number of Boards and Advisory Panels, including Artsadmin (London) and Performa (New York). In 1999, she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by Dartington College of Arts, and in 2009, she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by Queen Mary, University of London.

CJ Mitchell joined the Agency as Deputy Director in May 2009, and became Director in March 2012. Previously, CJ was Executive Director of the Links Hall performance space in Chicago; Managing Director of Performing Arts Chicago; Administrative Director of the Master of Arts in Arts Administration programme at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago; an Associate/fundraising member and Company Manager of Goat Island Performance Group; and General Manager of the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow. CJ is a member of the Board of Directors of Rajni Shah Projects. He is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, and holds a Masters in Cultural Studies and a Bachelor of Accountancy, both from the University of Glasgow.

Aaron Wright joined the Agency as Programme Coordinator in November 2010, and became Company Manager in March 2012. Aaron previously worked for a number of organisations including the BBC, Maverick Television and mac (Midlands Arts Centre). As well as interning with Birmingham’s experimental music festival Supersonic, produced by Capsule, Aaron is a member of the Board of Directors of Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. Aaron completed his English and Drama degree at The University of Birmingham in 2009.

Alex Eisenberg joined the Live Art Development Agency as Digital Manager in May 2012. Since 2007, Alex has worked freelance on a variety projects with artists and independent organsiations including body>data>space where he worked as Creative Producer on Robots and Avatars and MADE (Mobility for Digital Arts in Europe). Since 2006, he has worked as part of Present Attempt making and performing collaborative interdisciplinary performance work. Alex is also a member of Kings of England and presented In Eldersfield - Chapter One: Elegy for Paul Dirac as part of SPILL Festival 2011 at the Barbican. He produces and curates SHOW TiME and has an MA in Performance from Central School of Speech and Drama.

Katy Baird joined the Agency as Coordinator in May 2012. Katy graduated from Glasgow University with a degree in Theatre and Sociology and co-founded the art activist collective Monkey United Freedom Force. In 2010, she graduated from Goldsmiths University of London with a Masters degree in Performance Making and has performed her solo work at a variety of Live Art festivals and venues throughout the UK. Since graduating she has interned at the London International Festival of Theatre and is currently on the committee of The Holloway Arts Festival. 

 

Past staff:

Co-founder
The Live Art Development Agency was co-founded by Catherine Ugwu. Catherine was Deputy Director of Live Arts at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, 1991-1997, holding programming, curatorial and commissioning responsibilities. She compiled and edited Let's Get It On - the politics of black performance and has contributed chapters to publications including, Mirage: Enigmas of Race, Difference and Desire, Global Encounters In The World of Arts, Collisions of Tradition and Modernity, and The Project Papers, a Dublin Theatre Festival Publication. She has contributed to numerous publications nationally and internationally. She was formerly Chair of Talawa Theatre Company and The Showroom Gallery Board's. Catherine Ugwu left the Agency in 2000 to work as an independent producer on major international events.

Associate Director
From 2001 to 2008 Daniel Brine was Associate Director of the Live Art Development Agency. Daniel joined the Live Art Development Agency as Associate Director in January 2001. After training as an architect he worked with the Visual Arts/Craft Unit of the Australia Council, the Australian Government's arts advisory and funding body. On the completion of his Masters of Arts Administration he worked as a curator including projects with Tamworth City Gallery and the Centre for Contemporary Craft. Between 1996 and 2000 he was a Combined Arts Officer and then Visual Arts Officer; Live Art at the Arts Council of England. As a freelance arts manager Daniel has worked with Andrew Caleya Chetty as Co-Director of the NOW Festival, DA2 (Digital Arts Development Agency) and London Arts. Since leaving the Agency, Daniel Brine has been Artistic Director of Performance Space (Sydney, Australia), and is now Director of The Junction (Cambridge).

Projects Manager
Andrew Mitchelson joined the Live Art Development Agency as Company and Resource Manager in March 2006 and his post was redesignated as Projects Manager in April 2008, responsible for developing areas of the Agency's projects and initiatives, professional development programmes and overseeing Unbound. Andrew is also a practising artist making solo work, and collaborative works as Mitch & Parry, and he also has an MA in Performance from Queen Mary, University of London. Andrew also has a BA in Arts Management and has previously worked with Head for Business, the Royal National Theatre and Duckie. Andrew left the Agency in April 2012, and now works as an independent arts producer and curator.

Administrator
From 2010 to 2011 Season Butler was Administrator at the Agency. Season completed an MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University in 2007 and spent the following year as a freelance writer and performance artist. She has also held positions in arts and education administration at Shunt and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.

From 2008 to 2009 Maria Agiomyrgiannaki was Administrator at the Agency. Maria graduated from Queen Mary University of London with a BA Degree in German and Hispanic Studies (European Studies). Over the years she became increasingly interested in Live Art and Performance and involved in the support infrastructures and the curatorial framework around the sector as well as its relationship with Creative and Cultural Industries. Since 2005 she has worked directly with/provided direct support to chief executives, directors, project co-ordinators, producers, curators and artists in organisations ranging from the Rich Mix Cultural Foundation, New Work Network, the Athens Biennial, Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) and Chisenhale Dance Space. Maria continues working within and contributing to the Live Art and performance sector.