TOTALLY TRUE TESTIMONIALS

“Dude, you are like a cone of calm.”

Patton Oswalt, comedian

“Your patience is legendary.”

Mona Simpson, author

“You have a nice face.”

David Lynch, director

BIO

James Bewley is Senior Program Officer at the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts in New York. Prior to joining the Foundation, he served as Director of Public Programs & Education at the UCLA Hammer Museum in Los Angeles where he was responsible for organizing hundreds of lectures, screenings, and cultural events. Bewley is also a visual artist, performer, and writer, whose work has been presented at venues around the country, including recent appearances at the SF Sketchfest, Hell Yes Festival in New Orleans, ANT Fest at Ars Nova, NYC Podfest, SOLOFEST, and the Gotham Storytelling Festival. He has participated in the acclaimed storytelling/comedy events How I Learned Series, Tom Shillue’s A Funny Story, The Soundtrack Series, Literary Death Match, Punch Up Your Life with Pete Holmes & Jessi Klein, Split Personality, Yum’s The Word, and Dead Darlings.

He began his comedy career in San Francisco with the sketch group, Killing My Lobster and performed with Theatre de la Jeune Lune in Minneapolis. Bewley is also an alumni of Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center for new works on Long Island. He received training at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles. He is a co-creator and voice talent for the award-winning web animations, Strindberg and Helium, and is the producer and host of the performance/podcast project, Dale Radio. A member of SAG-AFTRA, Bewley received an honorary BA in Theater from Brown University and his BFA in sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design. He lives in Brooklyn.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Senior Program Officer, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts
New York, NY, 2008 – Present
Work with fellow program staff to review proposals for project specific and programmatic funding support for arts organizations and museums across the US. Project manager for redesign of the Foundation website in 2009. Co-directed the organization and implementation of the 2011 Warhol Initiative Convening, and led the process of building and designing the Warhol Initiative website.

Programming Manager, Park Avenue Armory
New York, NY, 2008
Foster collaborations with an international host of presenting organizations and strengthen internal structures to allow for professional presentations. Develop budgets and fundraising strategies for inaugural visual arts and education program. Organize and facilitate lectures, artist residencies, and concerts.

Director of Public Programs & Education, Hammer Museum
Los Angeles, CA, 2004 – 2008
Part of senior management staff, responsible for organization and implementation of nearly 200, free annual public events including lectures, concerts, readings, screenings, and workshops. Develop a wide range of exhibition related programs directly with Curatorial Department and Director of the Museum. Manage and generate series that are organized by outside curators and co-producers. Maintain annual departmental budget. Oversee all artist contracts, letters of correspondence, fee payments, guest travel arrangements, insurance requirements, and hospitality. Supervise and train Program Coordinator, technicians, volunteers, and interns. Work closely with Communications, Development, and Facilities staff to ensure success, visibility, and funding opportunities for programs. Produce monthly podcasts and maintain audio/visual archive of events. Increased program attendance by 100% in 2006 calendar year.

Performer, Theatre de la Jeune Lune
Minneapolis, 2004
Guest performer in election year revival of original Jeune Lune production of Ubu for President.

Program Director, New Langton Arts
San Francisco. 1999 – 2004
Curate, administer, develop, and implement concurrent programming in visual arts, music, literature, performance, video and internet- based arts. Maintain schedules and budgets of all exhibitions and performances in close contact with curatorial board members. Produce program notes, curatorial statements, receive and review submitted artist materials, coordinate shipping and receiving of work, draft artists contracts, loan agreements, and co-production arrangements. Maintain production and publication schedules. Facilitate art procurement, online sales, and catalog publication for annual benefit auction event.

Writer and Performer, Killing My Lobster
Sketch Comedy, 2000 – 2004
Contributed as actor, director, and writer in film and stage productions.

Visiting Faculty, Rhode Island School of Design
January – March 2000
Wrote, designed, and directed six-week winter-session course devoted to performance. Guided twenty-six students through the process of producing a work of original visual theater with an emphasis on art history.

Operations Manager, New Langton Arts
San Francisco, 1998 – 1999
Oversaw production of all theater events. House managed and ran box office. Prepared monthly and yearly financial statements for review by staff, auditor, and board. Set up and maintained intra- and extra-net systems. Responsible for general facility upkeep and maintenance.

Performer, Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center
Watermill, NY, 1994
Studied with international theater designer, Robert Wilson. Performer for several projects in development including Skin, Meat, and Bones, a collaboration with sound composer Alvin Lucier and T.S.E., a project for Gibellina, Italy.

CURATORIAL EXPERIENCE

Hammer Presents
Hammer Museum, Ongoing
Initiated interdisciplinary series presenting artists working in music, film, and visual arts. Programs have included Leslie Hall, Cory McAbee, Bruce Wagner, James Ellroy, Ann Magnuson, Myra Melford, and several artist collaboratives.

ALSO I LIKE TO ROCK
Hammer Museum, July 2005-2007, (Series ran through 2014)
Initiated summer series of weekly rock concerts featuring San Francisco and LA-based indie rock bands, Monsters Are Waiting, Space Mtn, My Barbarian, Ebb and Flow, Club Unicornio, and Vagenius.

Element of Temporary 5, with Ev Funes
San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery, August 20, 2004
One night exhibition of temporary works and performances by emerging artists.

Killing My Lobster Kabaret, The Make Out Room
San Francisco, January 2003 – June 2004
Organized monthly two hour benefit cabaret nights featuring films, stand up comedy, and music by Bay Area comedians and performers.

The Pretendlings
Curated exhibition at New Langton Arts, April 2 – May 3, 2003
Artists include Martine Corompt, Tamara Fites, Frank Haines, Desiree Holman, Tara Tucker, and Paulina Wallenberg-Olsson.

Not My Self
Video Program at New Langton Arts, Co-curated with Craig Goodman, April 5, 2003
Artists include Janieta Eyre, Forcefield, Susan Giles, Timothy Hutchings, and the Royal Art Lodge.

San Francisco Arts Commission Art in Transit
August 2002
Juror for 2003 series of artwork for Market Street Kiosks, San Francisco.

Emerge
Juror for annual exhibition of emerging Bay Area artists Produced by GenArt SF, April 2002

No Where Fast
Curated visual arts exhibition at Lizabeth Oliveria Gallery, Oakland, July 6 – 30, 2001
Artists include Duane McDiarmid, Christopher Moore, Danica Phelps, and Chris Sollars.

Stranger Than You and Even More Stranger Than You
Concurrent exhibitions at New Langton Arts and the Cartoon Art Museum, January – February 2001
Artists included Daniel Clowes, Amy Cutler, Jason Jägel, Thomas Plagemann, Isabel Samaras, and Chris Ware.

You Are Here: Locating the State of Arts Non-Profits in the Bay Area
SFMOMA, October 1999
Member of organizing committee for day long symposium on Bay Area arts spaces. Co-Curated performance and video component of event with Courtney Fink.

PUBLICATIONS

Shary Boyle: Flesh and Blood
Published by Galerie de l’UQAM / ABC Art Books Canada, 2010
Contributed essay about Boyle’s performance work.

Jovial Tales for Tragic Sensibilities
Published by New Langton Arts/Creative Capital, 2003
Editor for exhibition catalog for the work of artists Jeanne Finley and John Muse.

Jessica Bronson, Selections from the Video Art for the Bar Series
Published by Berkeley Art Museum, 2001
Contributed interview with the artist.

Anna Gaskell, future’s eve
Published by New Langton Arts, 2001
Contributed curatorial statement and artist interview.

NAAO Field Guide 2000
Published by National Association of Artists Organizations, June 2000
Interview with San Francisco sound artist, Paul DeMarinis

PANELS, LECTURES, & FELLOWSHIPS

The Association of Art Museum Curators, Funders Panel Discussion, New York, NY, May, 2013
Grantmakers in the Arts Annual Conference, Co-Gen Now Panel, Miami, FL, October 16, 2012
Emerging Leaders of New York Arts Fellow, New York, NY, 2011-2012 Inaugural Cohort
Cultural Programmers Think Tank, Tate Modern, London, July 13&14, 2006
Mills College, Art Supplement Lecture for Dept. of Visual Arts, January 29, 2003
San Francisco Art Institute, Graduate Department of Visual Arts, Program Lecture, October 1, 2002
Brown University, Department of Visual Arts, Artist Talk, February 2002
Open Source, NAAO’s Annual Conference, Brooklyn, New York, June 2000
NAAO, The Co-Generate Project, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, October 1999