Tim Griffin Joins The Industry As Executive Director

The Industry, a trailblazing arts organization known for staging groundbreaking site-specific performances across Los Angeles, has announced the appointment of Tim Griffin as its new Executive Director effective June 20, 2023. With more than two decades of leadership experience among prominent arts organizations defined by their commitment to innovation and engagement with broad publics, Griffin will further propel the company's mission of experimentation and interdisciplinary collaboration.

On behalf of The Industry's Board of Directors, Chair Ruth Eliel expressed her excitement about Griffin's appointment, stating, “Tim's experience leading The Kitchen makes him uniquely positioned to join the leadership of the company, and we are all looking forward to working with him as we embark on a new era of artistic excellence and community engagement together.”

Board and Company Member Sharon Chohi Kim also shared, “I'm thrilled about Tim's extensive experience supporting interdisciplinary performance, and how it will open up opportunities for boundary breaking and genre bending, and create exciting new kinds of collaborations among the artists and musicians of The Industry.”

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Griffin expressed his enthusiasm for joining The Industry, saying, “Since its inception a decade ago, The Industry has been inspirational—even revolutionary—for championing opera as a limber art form with a singular capacity to meet our moment's desire for new, interdisciplinary approaches to art, and for a reimagined relationship of art with its diverse publics. I'm deeply excited and honored to join this amazing group of collaborators among The Industry's Board, Artistic Directors, and Company to continue the organization's work with artists and the civic landscape of Los Angeles.”

As Executive Director, Griffin will be responsible for the overall strategic direction of The Industry, working closely with the Artistic Director Cooperative (Ash Fure, Malik Gaines, Yuval Sharon), creative teams, and the Board of Directors. With his wealth of experience, strategic vision, and commitment to developing new models for art-making, Griffin will lead the organization while expanding collaborative partnerships, donor relationships, and access to the arts, in order to realize and amplify the company's mission of making opera more accessible and relevant to diverse audiences.

Yuval Sharon, founder and Co-Artistic Director of The Industry shared that, “Everyone at The Industry feels fortunate and excited to have Tim Griffin as our next Executive Director. His expertise in supporting and advocating for a wide range of artists is part of what makes him a perfect fit to guide our organization in its continued evolution. Just as The Industry has always sought new combinations of artists to explore new expressions and expand what 'opera' can mean, we are all excited to see how Tim will lead the organization's ongoing adventures.”

A director, curator, and writer recently residing in Los Angeles, Griffin previously held positions as executive director and chief curator at The Kitchen, from 2011 to 2021, and as editor of Artforum, from 2003 to 2010. At The Kitchen, he organized interdisciplinary projects by Chantal Akerman, ANOHNI, Charles Atlas, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Joan Jonas, Ralph Lemon, Felix Bernstein and Gabe Rubin, Aki Sasamoto, James Sprang, and Danh Vo, among others, in addition to partnering on crucial presentations of historical work by artist Gretchen Bender and composer Julius Eastman. Griffin also organized major presentations of musical performance by Claire Chase, Moor Mother, Tristan Perich, Wadada Leo Smith, and Tyshawn Sorey, while creating the electronic music series “Synth Nights,” which featured performances and collaborations with artists such as Laurie Anderson, Laurel Halo, Nels Cline and Yuka Honda, Nico Muhly, Musica Elettronica Viva, Oneohtrix Point Never, and Morton Subotnick. 

Griffin also created The Kitchen L.A.B., a public dialogue series gathering artists and writers to discuss ideas on interdisciplinarity, while developing new institutional models for public engagement. Notably, he led the curatorial team in organizing the three-part exhibition "From Minimalism into Algorithm" (2016), exploring the evolution of serial repetition in music and visual art from the 1970s to the present day; and took part in major interdisciplinary projects by Kevin Beasley and Claudia Rankine and the Racial Imaginary institute. Griffin's departure from The Kitchen in September 2021 coincided with the announcement of the organization's building renovation on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, for which Griffin raised roughly $22 million and completed design development with Rice + Lipka Architects. 

As editor of Artforum, Griffin organized special issues on new models of performance; the museum in a contemporary context; art and poetry; and art and its markets; and commissioned many now-anthologized essays. His own writing has included keynote essays for choreographer Maria Hassabi 2016 performances at the Museum of Modern Art; the 2016 Hugo Boss Prize catalogue for Ralph Lemon at the Guggenheim Museum; the 2009 retrospective of John Baldessari at Tate Modern, “Pure Beauty”; and the catalogue raisonné of German artist Martin Kippenberger. He also edited a volume of selected writings on Wade Guyton (JRP, 2018), and has a forthcoming book on changing concepts of site-specificity (Sternberg Press).

In anticipation of Mr. Griffin's appointment, Co-Artistic Director Malik Gaines shared that, “For years, I've followed Tim's work leading hugely influential arts organizations. The Kitchen and Artforum have helped define the fields where I've presented my work. I'm glad that we at The Industry will be benefiting from Tim's major intelligence and experience. This appointment is a big deal for our company, for experimental opera, and for the arts in Los Angeles.”

Co-Artistic Director, Ash Fure says, “Tim has been a champion of experimental artists and a thought leader across disciplines for decades. We are thrilled to have his curatorial prowess and multi-disciplinary perspective join forces with The Industry. What a treat for LA and all the artists of The Industry to feel his fresh take on the field of opera and the fertile landscape of Los Angeles.”

The Industry eagerly anticipates embarking on this transformative journey with Tim Griffin at the helm. Together, they will forge new paths, challenge conventions, and create groundbreaking productions that redefine the opera experience for the 21st century.

ABOUT THE INDUSTRY:

Founded in 2010 by opera director Yuval Sharon, The Industry is a Los Angeles-based opera company that expands on the operatic form, bringing together interdisciplinary artists to create collaborative performances that engage the cultural landscape of Los Angeles. Lauded as “the coolest opera company in the world” (KUSC), The Industry is on “the leading edge of operatic innovation” (Wired Magazine). The Industry prizes site-specific approaches that challenge the traditional relationship between the artist and the spectator and the relationship between the spectator and the community. Above all, The Industry values experimentation, collaboration, and boldness. The Industry is led by its Artistic Director Cooperative, created in 2020 to bolster the vision and expand the artistic programming of the Industry. The Cooperative is made up of Sharon, sonic artist Ash Fure, and interdisciplinary artist Malik Gaines. 

Upcoming projects from The Industry include STAR CHOIR: an outer space chamber opera set inside the historic Mount Wilson Observatory. This speculative work of fantasy, created by Malik Gaines and Alexandro Segade, explores pressing questions about the future of humanity. Premiering September 2023. 

In June of 2024, The Industry will premiere the highly anticipated Comet / Poppea, a captivating fusion of new music by George Lewis with Claudio Monteverdi's Baroque masterpiece. Directed by Yuval Sharon and created in partnership with *AMOC (American Modern Opera Company) and Supper Club, this hybrid work questions notions of power, race, and the social and political dimensions of opera itself.

For more information on The  Industry, visit https://theindustryla.org. 

Tim Griffin is executive director of The Industry, having joined the organization in June, 2023, and continuing his involvement with organizations committed to reimagining art's relationship with its publics. 

Previously, Griffin was executive director and chief curator at The Kitchen (2011–2021), where he developed projects across disciplines with artists such as Chantal Akerman, ANOHNI, Charles Atlas, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Joan Jonas, Ralph Lemon, Aki Sasamoto, Wadada Leo Smith, Tyshawn Sorey, and Danh Vo, among others. In addition, he partnered on crucial presentations of historical work by artist Gretchen Bender and composer Julius Eastman. Griffin also created The Kitchen L.A.B. public dialogue series, and the electronic music series “Synth Nights,” collaborating with artists like Laurie Anderson, Laurel Halo, and Musica Elettronica Viva. On the occasion of The Kitchen's 50th anniversary, Griffin initiated a capital campaign to renovate its building as a platform for the next generation of artists, raising roughly $22 million. 

From 2003 to 2010, Griffin was editor of Artforum, organizing special issues on performance; the museum in a contemporary context; art and poetry; and art and commerce. His own writing has appeared in publications from Bomb to Vogue, including catalogue essays on choreographer Maria Hassabi (MoMA, 2016), artist Ralph Lemon (Guggenheim Museum, 2016), and John Baldessari (Tate Modern, 2009). Griffin also edited a volume of selected writings on Wade Guyton (JRP), and has a forthcoming book on artists' changing engagement with site-specificity (Sternberg Press). In 2015, he was awarded the insignia of chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters.