Kim Cullen

Activist, Artist, Brainstormer, Business leader, Change agent, Concerned citizen, Connector, Consultant, Designer, Educator/Teacher, Entrepreneur, Event planner, Finance professional, Idea generator, Industrialist, Life mentor, Parent, Producer, Public servant, Social entrepreneur, World traveler

In 1995, Kim Cullen opened a movement education facility Art In Motion in North Carolina formally beginning her exploration of a movement-based live gathering space. In 2001, Cullen moved home to New York City and became Education Director for the Pascal Rioult Dance Theatre, now Rioult. Concurrently, Cullen founded Young Dance Collective, its mission to foster an intellectual, creative process driven by discussion and critical thinking among young people in a space where they create work while developing relationships. Young Dance Collective, now under the umbrella of cullen+them an intergenerational company led by Artistic Director Hannah Cullen, was designed to create the energy of what Ray Oldenburg calls a “third place,” a setting for the creative exchange of ideas, grassroots politics and a community-gathering place outside of the realms of home and school/work. Cullen believes that the opportunity for face-to-face dialogue, creative processing and spontaneity is incredibly important in our current cultural climate as is live gathering and live performance. In 2002, Cullen went into the Williamsburg community developing a collaborative plan for the educational arm of the Streb Lab for Action Mechanics. In 2003, Cullen opened the Streb school as Director of Education. Under Kim’s leadership, the school grew into a vibrant community setting for adults, children, circus artists and the local community generating a substantial stream of earned and contributed revenue for the organization. In 2004, Cullen became Streb’s General Manager and in 2006 Producing Director of the company. While there, Ms. Cullen produced the company’s touring shows, negotiated major commissions for Lincoln Center Festival, the River to River Festival, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Park Avenue Armory. Cullen also negotiated and produced "Surprises Streb: One Extraordinary Day", a co-commission by the Mayor of London and the London Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. During her tenure, the company secured financing from the City of New York to purchase its Williamsburg Brooklyn building, the annual budget nearly quadrupled, individual giving and the earned income revenue stream increased exponentially, the company obtained lead corporate sponsorship for artistic development and was the subject of the feature film Born to Fly. In 2014, Kim began working for New York Live Arts as the independent Producer of the 2015 Live Ideas festival curated by Laurie Anderson. She now continues her relationship with Bill T. Jones and New York Live Arts as the Executive Director & CEO a position she holds dear. Since 1989, starting out as a public school dance educator with a focus on dance and creative process as a medium to cross socio-economic, racial and gender barriers, Kim remains committed to the transformation that takes place as individuals of all ages delve deeply into their creative selves and the issues that surround them. The future of live performance and live gathering remain at the heart of what Kim is most committed to and passionate about.

The future of Live Gathering

We get what we think about whether we want it or not.

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