MARFA, TX.- Ballroom Marfa’s board of directors announced today that Laura Copelin will be joining the staff as associate curator. Copelin comes to Ballroom after four years at the Santa Monica Museum of Art, and brings with her a wealth of experience from the ambitious Southern California kunsthalle.

“Laura’s experience across the spectrum of arts organizations – from upstart DIY spaces to respected institutions such as SMMoA – make her an ideal candidate for the associate curator position,” says Ballroom Marfa Executive Director Susan Sutton. “Ballroom Marfa’s diverse programming calendar and unique geographic location require a rare combination of independent spirit and rigorous institutional effectiveness.”

“What excites me most about Ballroom Marfa is the ambition of the artist-driven projects and commissioned installations,” says Copelin. “These opportunities allow artists to immerse themselves in a radically different environment and offer something new to the natural and cultural landscape."

"It will be interesting to see how my experiences in Los Angeles' rich creative communities translate to this new setting," says Copelin. “Highlights from my time at SMMoA are working with Museum’s visionary Executive Director Elsa Longhauser, as well as noted curators Jeffrey Uslip and Lucía Sanromán , on projects with luminaries like Yutaka Sone, Simone Forti, Agnes Denes, Joyce Pensato, Michael Queenland, Suzanne Lacy, and Tania Bruguera as well as brilliant emerging artists like Andrew Cannon, Dwyer Kilcollin, Michael Manning, Keltie Ferris, and Samira Yamin.”

In addition to her work developing exhibitions and programs for SMMoA, Copelin organized a number of interdisciplinary events in Los Angeles, bringing together the worlds of visual art, music, and ecological activism. Copelin has developed projects for Machine Project and the Los Angeles Seminary for Embodied and Civic Arts; contributed to the seminal art and music journal Arthur as well as emerging Los Angeles publication VIA; and operated artist micro-residency Housework in Venice Beach.

Copelin holds a B.A. in English and Art, Magna Cum Laude with Honors, from UCLA and was a part of Mountain School for Arts and Summer Forum for Inquiry and Exchange.

Ballroom Marfa is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and a dynamic, contemporary cultural arts space where varied perspectives and issues are explored through visual arts, film, music, and performance. Ballroom Marfa's mission is to serve international, national, regional, and local arts communities and support the work of both emerging and recognized artists working in all media.