Delaware Valley Arts Alliance welcomes new staff members

The Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA) has announced the addition of two new members to its staff.

As DVAA’s grants coordinator, Laura E.J. Moran will be managing regrant programs and related technical assistance offerings, as well as our student scholarship opportunities.

The alliance’s year-round exhibitions, which include solo and group exhibitions and the annual Art in Sixes, will be overseen by Krissy Smith, who will be succeeding the longtime gallery director, Rocky Pinciotti.

“DVAA is fortunate to have these two outstanding individuals join our team at this time,” said executive director Ariel Shanberg. “The arts play a vital role in sustaining our communities. Laura and Krissy each bring a vast range of experiences and valuable perspectives that will enrich our programs and benefit the artists and communities DVAA serves for years to come.”

Moran has lived in the Upper Delaware River valley for 20 years and, as both artist and programmer, worked with many cultural organizations in the region, including Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, NACL, and ENGN Cntr. A visual artist, writer, performer, and educator, she holds a MFA in creative writing and was an invited attendee to the Lincoln Center Teaching Artist Leadership Lab in 2019. She also collects oral histories.

Her arrival coincided with the launch of the 2021 Arts for Sullivan Grant Cycle and has already been engaging with the past and future applicants.

“The grants are very accessible this year with no matching funds requirement, thereby broadening opportunity for the arts to continue in this challenging time,” Moran said. “Arts catalyze people and communities, bring joy, let us see other points of view, open dialogues, give hope. If you have a project in mind, apply. The applications are not difficult, and I am here to assist everyone with the process. Give me a call!”

Krissy Smith began overseeing DVAA’s celebrated visual arts program this fall. A familiar face to many as the owner and proprietor of The Callicoon Theater since 2018, she has ushered in a new era of community engagement, broadening its cinematic programming in an effort to connect with wider audiences. Recently, she has worked with the Callicoon Business Association to produce the Callicoon Art Walk in 2018 and 2019.

Previously she worked for the internationally acclaimed St. Ann’s Warehouse, a non-profit presenting arts organization located in DUMBO, Brooklyn. There she excelled at helping organizations succeed through creative programming, intuitive collaborations and mission-driven projects. She curated and co-directed St. Ann’s only annual developmental theater program Puppet Lab/Labapalooza!) for seven years and was responsible for The Studio at St. Ann’s, a community flex-space designed for outreach and public engagement with underserved audiences in Brooklyn.

“I’m very excited to join DVAA’s team and engage with artists again,” Smith said. “The arts are a necessary part of life. We need them in order to navigate and process these extraordinary times.”