This week, Ballroom Marfa announced that the organization’s curator, Laura Copelin, has been appointed interim director after Susan Sutton’s departure to pursue “new opportunities in Los Angeles.” Sutton was selected as Ballroom’s executive director in 2014 following Fairfax Dorn’s transition to become the organization’s artistic director.
Copelin has been with Ballroom since February of 2015; before her tenure in West Texas, she spent four years developing programs and exhibitions at the Santa Monica Museum of Art. In a press release from Ballroom, Fairfax Dorn spoke about Copelin’s new position:
The board of trustees is very excited that Copelin is taking this new role in leading Ballroom Marfa. Copelin is a curatorial force and true visionary. Her passion and dedication to the arts and artists is extraordinary. I look forward to working with her on serving the Marfa community and all of the musicians, filmmakers, artists and supporters that make Ballroom such a dynamic organization.
Two other staffers have also been added to Ballroom’s roster: Matt Grant, who previously served other museums and galleries as a shipping coordinator and art handler, has been brought on as registrar and lead preparator, and Gabriela Carballo, a University of Texas at El Paso graduate, has come on as a gallery assistant.