New Directorship announced
It’s Official! Home Live Art announces new Directorship: Katy Baird & Duckie
5th February 2018. Through an innovative new partnership,Katy Baird and Duckie have been appointed as the new directorship of Home Live Art. Katy Baird will assume the role of Artistic Director, responsible for artistic programme and leadership and over-seeing the organisation’s day-to-day activity with Duckie taking on the role of Executive Director providing wrap around administrative and strategic support.
Katy and Duckie will take over from Home Live Art’s current Artistic Directors Mimi Banks and Jane Greenfield in April 2018.
Martin Gent, Chair of the Board said: “On behalf of the Board, I’m delighted to appoint Duckie and Katy Baird as the new, joint Directorship of Home Live Art. The collaborative structure of artist and organisation working closely together to develop Home Live Art’s ethos and programme of work, is very exciting and in the spirit of everyone involved. We are excited by Katy’s strong sense of vision and ideas for Home Live Art and with her in-depth knowledge of the Live Art scene believe this will both energise and lift Home Live Art for the next phase of its history.”
Over the last two decades Home Live Art has developed a reputation for bringing socially engaged live art into mainstream contexts, establishing the company’s accessible approach to live art programming, while maintaining a sense of risk taking and playful provocation. As part of the Art Council’s National Portfolio, the company recently relocated to the South East region, joining a cohort of exceptional organisations including the Marlborough Pub & Theatre and Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts.
Katy Baird said: “I am absolutely thrilled to take on the role of Artistic Director at Home Live Art and to be teaming up with Duckie to develop a new approach of collaborative ways of working. Home Live Art’s pioneering work exploring the relationship between artist, audience and site has been a huge inspiration to me both as a curator and as an artist. As the organisation approaches its 20th year, it is a great honour to be building on this legacy and to be able to focus my energy on meaningful long-term audience development whilst ensuring that artists and the work they create is always at the centre. Having relocated to the South East coast last year I am super excited to be working in Hastings and to further establish the organisation’s reputation as the Home of Live Art in the South East and beyond. “
Simon Casson, Producer for Duckie said: “Performance mongers Duckie are chuffed to bits to be getting into bed with our brand new sister firm Home Live Art. Starting in Hastings, we are keen to spread our wings on the South Coast presenting the most innovative live art and progressive performance with genuine community engagement. This means crossing the class divide locally – getting the art classes, the middle classes and the working classes to come together for a beano. This means presenting visceral new performance in kebab shops, in launderettes, in all night chemists, in arcades, on the high street and on the seafront.
Like Jasper Conran for Debenhams, Katy Baird for Home Live Art will be an aspirational designer label: curating, directing, performing, actor-managing and hosting. Come to Hastings, see her sign her name and mark out her territory: Katy Baird for Home Live Art.”
For press enquiries, please contact Janine@homeliveart.com
Main image: Katy Baird – photo credit Maurizio Martorana
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Biographies:
Katy Baird is an artist, curator and producer of Live Art
As an artist Katy has performed at Live Art festivals and venues as well as squat parties, clubs and raves. Her recent solo performance Workshy has toured internationally to over 30 cities. Since 2016 she has been artist in residence at queer club night Knickerbocker.
As a Curator she co-produces Steakhouse Live, a DIY platform for radical performance practices. It’s rough. It’s raw. Unprofessionalism is embraced. Work cuts across performance art, theatre, visual art, cabaret, dance, drag and participatory performance.
Katy previously worked as Coordinator at the Live Art Development Agency from 2012-2017.
Duckie: Arts enterprise, homo-social honky-tonk and performance clubs for extraordinary populations
Duckie create good nights out and culture clubs that bring communities together.
From our legendary 21-year weekly residency at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern to winning Olivier awards at the Barbican, we are purveyors of progressive working class entertainment who mix live art and light entertainment.
Duckie combine vintage queer clubbing, LGBT heritage & social archeology & quirky performance art shows with a quintet of socially engaged culture clubs:
The Posh Club (our glamorous cabaret with older folks in five towns)
The Slaughterhouse Club (our wellbeing project with homeless Londoners struggling with booze, addiction and mental health issues)
Palace of Varieties (our dementia friendly arts showbar in care homes)
Duckie QTIPOC Collective (our LGBTQ youth theatre, starts early 2018)
Duckie Family (our culture club with queer people of colour)
As committed grafters and public servants, Duckie produce about 100 events and 100 workshops each year – mostly in London and the South East – and our annual audience is about 26,000 real life punters.
