Directors

Marie Cieri, Co-Director. From 2004 – 2008, Marie was assistant professor of social geography and critical cartography at The Ohio State University.  In her current work, she combines geographic techniques and perspectives with ones drawn from the arts and popular culture to create alternative representations of space and place from the perspective of populations who generally have little access to the tools and forums of the public sphere. Before becoming a geographer, Cieri had a diverse career as an arts producer, curator, consultant and writer. She was the founder and from 1987-present has been the director of The Arts Company, a non-profit organization based in Cambridge, MA, that collaborates with contemporary artists on the production, presentation and touring of new work in a variety of art forms. Her freelance work has included long-term cultural projects for The Rockefeller Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and The Kitchen in New York City. She also has held professional positions at Walker Art Center, the New England Foundation for the Arts and two daily newspapers. Among her publications are two books, including Activists Speak Out: Reflections on the Pursuit of Change in America (2000, Palgrave/St. Martin’s Press), which contains activist profiles from a variety of fields, including the arts.  Currently, Cieri is a critic in graduate studies at Rhode Island School of Design and a consultant on a number of projects dealing with the arts, freedom of information and/or social justice.  She also is working on a new book entitled Irresolvable Geographies, which explores the idea that spaces and places are continually constructed and contested from a number of cultural, economic and political points of view.

Louisa McCall, Co-Director. Louisa was Program Director at the LEF Foundation from 2000 -2008, where she oversaw the investment of $4.3 million in 420 artist and organizational projects and created special strategic initiatives for independent film production, artist support systems, and public art, architecture and design.  Prior to joining LEF, Louisa organized a national conference for The Institute for Art and Civil Dialogue at Harvard University, in collaboration with Anna Deavere Smith, the W.E.B. DuBois Institute and the American Repertory Theater.    In her many freelance projects, Louisa has focused on strategic consulting and institutional advancement.  In 2006, she developed a vision and produced a strategic plan for the City of Boston Public Art Commission.  Louisa has been involved at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston as a member of the Board of Directors and as a strategic consultant for public programs and special artistic initiatives.

Staff

Max Roberts-Zirker, Program Coordinator. Max earned his BA in environmental planning and design with honors at the University of New Mexico, where he was an integral member of the University Honors Program office staff and a student adviser. Since then, he has worked with the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission and volunteered in various community-planning endeavors. In his various roles he is focused on community vitality.  Max is now based in Somerville, MA. and volunteers his time with the “Association for Community Design”, “Stand up for Kids”, “NVC Boston”, and "Experience Economies".
Adele Mattern, Pioneer Valley Regional Coordinator
Montana Blanco, Rhode Island Regional Coordinator
Micah Salkind, Rhode Island Regional Coordinator
Jori Ketten, Rhode Island Regional Coordinator
Elisabeth Lechner, AIC Summer Intern