KATARZYNA BALUG
Co-founder
Inspired by science-fictional worlds and informed by urbanism studies, Katarzyna (Kate) Balug’s practice flows from performance and installation art to research and curation. Her work has been shown at Muzeum Sztuki Lodz, Poland, Isles Art Initiative, Boston, and FARO Tláhuac in Mexico City, among others. In 2017, she co-curated the exhibit “The New Inflatable Moment” at the BSA Space in Boston. Kate is writing a dissertation on inflatable structures and the post-lunar imaginary at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
MARIA VIDARt-delgado
Co-founder
Maria received her PhD in Anthropology from Rice University in 2013. Maria studies political participation, public formation and public space after neoliberalism. She’s currently finishing her first book which examines the rise of professional political management in Colombia, and social inequality in electoral campaigning. She wonders what would happen if we planned cities around people and not profit.
YOU, and you too!
Player
Department of Play has been collaborative from its inception. If you're in the Boston area and have ideas for TPZs, contact us: hello [at] deptofplay [dot] com. TPZs are designed to inspire collaboration and to be immersive, irresistible and aesthetically appealing. We are always learning what that means in practice, and we'd love to hear from you! If your idea aligns with DoP's vision, we'll work together to make it happen.
Players' Circle
Our growing network of collaborators includes our dear husbands Nickolas Peter Chelyapov and Rex Baker IV, and close friends: Gerard Patawaran, Gabrielle Patawaran, Julie Goldstein, Jessica Goldfin, David Robert, Victor van den Bergh, Zachary Piazza, James Rojas and MIT's Center for Civic Media, where DoP was initially housed.
We have been gratefully supported by ArtPlace America; the Expressing Boston Fellowship, a partnership between the Design Studio for Social Intervention (DS4SI) and The Boston Foundation; and the National Arts Strategies Creative Community Fellows.
Our community partners include Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, DS4SI, Viet Aid, BCYF Cleveland, and the Andrew Square Civic Association.
