The new artistic director and CEO of Forma Arts has been announced as Debbi Lander. She takes on the role at the London-based cross-artform producers having worked as an executive producer for the organisation for the last year.
Lander is perhaps best known for her work as creative programmer for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. She was also programme director of the North West’s cultural legacy programme for London 2012, WE PLAY, which founded the Abandon Normal Devices festival and Lakes Alive programme. For Liverpool 08 European Capital of Culture she was programme director of FACT’s Human Futures programme.
A fellow of the RSA, Lander had an early career as account manager at Bartle Bogle Hegarty Advertising Agency in London in the late 1980s and was a visiting lecturer at Birbeck University in London for over ten years.
Commented on her new role, she said: “I am thrilled by the opportunity to work with leading artists and producers to make remarkable art happen in communities and on the world stage.
“My ambition is to build an artistic organisation crossing boundaries of arts and media and pushing artists into new areas of contemporary art production, interaction, exhibition, distribution at the nexus of art, science, music and film.”
Ferry Van-Dijk, chair of Forma Arts, said: “We have a strong new artistic leader in place for the start of a new and exciting chapter in the history of Forma.
“With its 15th year coming up in 2017 we look forward to working with existing and new partners around the world, which not only help make our new commissions possible but also extend the audiences and lifespan of Forma Arts works.”
Forma Arts was established in 2002 to work with British and international artists to develop, produce and tour new projects across the world. Over the last year Lander has helped to develop and produce works by Umbrellium, Crowe and Rawlinson, So Percussion, Gayle Chong Kwan and Mark Boulos.
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1. Debbi Lander, artistic director and CEO of Forma Arts
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