The New Day at MASS MoCA with Kristy Edmunds
In this episode with Kristy Edmunds, we learn about her storied career and how she made her way to MASSMOCA in 2022. Kristy talks in detail about how she became a leader in the larger world of the arts, the future of arts programming and her big plans for MASSMOCA in the near future and the long-term.
Kristy Edmunds
As an artist, curator, artistic director, and frequent international keynote speaker, Kristy Edmunds has a reputation for innovation and depth in the presentation of contemporary performing arts. In collaboration with master artists, she has curated unique platforms that survey the breadth of their artistry while placing equal emphasis on supporting and commissioning new works by some of today’s leading performance creators across disciplines.
Edmunds was the Founding Executive and Artistic Director of the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) and the TBA Festival (Time-Based Art) in Portland, Oregon. She served as Artistic Director for the Melbourne International Arts Festival from 2005 to 2008, becoming the first to serve an unprecedented four-year term. Upon completion, she was appointed Head of the School of Performing Arts at the Victorian College of the Arts/University of Melbourne, and after one year, she became the Deputy Dean of the College.
Concurrently, Edmunds worked as the inaugural Consulting Artistic Director for the now critically acclaimed Park Avenue Armory in New York (2009–2012). Curating the first three years of programming, she established the formative identity of PAA with commissioned works by artists such as Ann Hamilton, the final performance event of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Tom Sachs, Janet Cardiff, STREB, Ryoji Ikeda, and the Tune-In Festival with Philip Glass, among others.
Edmunds’ robust career has included work as a visual artist, independent filmmaker, playwright, director, and teacher. She holds a bachelor’s degree in film direction from Montana State University and a master’s degree in playwriting and theater direction from Western Washington University. In recognition of her contributions to the arts, Edmunds was honored with the title of Chevalier (Knight) de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government in 2016 and was the first recipient of the inaugural Berresford Prize by United States Artists (USA) in 2018. In 2022, Kristy was appointed Director of MASS MoCA, where she continues to serve today.