Highlights
|
who we are
staff |
Kathleen Pletcher
- Executive Artistic Director
- Kathleen Pletcher founded FirstWorks in 2004, transforming the one-night First Night Providence festival into a year-round performing arts and educational organization. With over 25 years experience as an entrepreneur, Kathleen has founded three non-profit arts organizations and formed strategies for organizations across the US. As a presenter, she has developed projects with creative pioneers such as Yo-Yo Ma, Kronos Quartet, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, linking performances of new work with community engagement across Rhode Island. As a curator, she has participated in numerous international tours, forging relationships with artists in Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil, Japan, Italy, Mexico and France.
contact: kathleen@first-works.org
Peter Bramante
- Managing Director
- Peter brings with him strong leadership, strategic skills and over 20 years experience in the nonprofit sector as an executive, manager, artist and educator. Prior to joining FirstWorks, Peter served as the Executive Director of the Arts & Business Council of Rhode Island (A&BC/RI). Under his leadership the organization expanded local programs and services, created innovative audience development tools and broadened the scope of nationally funded resources aimed at building Rhode Island’s cultural capitol. His interest and ideas around connecting arts to business practices and civic life have been presented at panels for Americans for the Arts, The National Arts Marketing Conference and The Association of Performing Arts Service Organizations. An advocate for experiential, arts-based learning, Peter has held adjunct and associate professorships at Brown University/Trinity Repertory Consortium, Roger Williams University, Rhode Island College and Connecticut College where he received an MFA in Dance Science and Performance studies and while enrolled through a full fellowship.
- contact: peter@first-works.org
Lauren Faria
- Development Director
- Lauren brings a decade of fundraising experience to her work as Development Director at FirstWorks, having worked with several arts and culture organizations in New York City. Most recently, she was Development Manager for Institutional Giving and Government Relations at Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, where she focused on resource development during a period of significant program expansion that included LMCC's acquisition of the annual River To River Festival. She previously held positions with The MacDowell Colony, Creative Capital, and the Prospect Park Alliance. Lauren is a native of Massachusetts and holds a BA in English from Wellesley College and a MA in Arts Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University.
- contact: lauren@first-works.org
Annette Robinson
- Administrative Manager
- Annette produced First Night Providence through 12 festivals as Associate Director. Most recently, she was Human Resources Manager for Sodexho School Services.
- contact: annette@first-works.org
Meredith Cutler
- Marketing/PR Coordinator
- Meredith brings to FirstWorks over 10 years of experience in brand marketing, public relations and creative project management within the non-profit, higher education, consumer electronics and entertainment industries. Also a visual artist, Meredith co-founded the 9yds. art collaborative, which produced multimedia arts events and exhibitions throughout greater Boston from 1998-2002. Her collaborative and solo work has been featured at the BCA Mills Gallery, Allston Skirt Gallery, Zeitgeist Gallery, Wheaton College and the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Gallery at Skidmore College. Meredith is also a contributing writer for artscope magazine, (New England's Culture Magazine), covering the region's visual arts news since 2008.
- contact: marketing@first-works.org
Andy Russ
- Education & Production Coordinator
- contact: production@first-works.org
Lucia Lopez
- Development Specialist
- contact: dev.ast@first-works.org
With additional support from:
Elena Lledó
- Pixilerations Exhibitions Director
- Dr. Elena Lledó is a contemporary art curator and critic, and has organized a number of art festivals and cultural events in Europe and the US. In addition to publishing criticism for over 15 years, she was the curatorial assistant at the Akademie der Kunste (Berlin), gallery manager at the Galerie carlier | gebauer (Berlin) and director of The Drawing Room (Berlin). After moving to the US, she was the coordinator of the first Digital Arts and New Media Festival in Santa Cruz, CA (2006) and more recently she has lectured art criticism at RISD.
- contact: pixilerations@first-works.org
