Cornelia is a writer, design researcher, and performance artist based in Brooklyn, NY. Her background is in design and contemporary art: most recently, she graduated with a Masters in Design Writing, Research & Criticism at SVA, where she devised a thesis project focused on the design of the pelvic exam.

In 2020, Cornelia received her BA in Art History from Columbia. Upon graduation, Cornelia spearheaded the editorial team for Pollinate Art, a community-based arts platform, and later joined Artsy as a full-time editorial content coordinator, where she tracked art market trends, wrote about emerging artists, and conducted interviews with artists and collectors. While she still enjoys consuming art as a critical observer, her efforts have shifted to making art, as she strives to pursue a creative outlet that allows her to assume an active role in the production of ephemeral, body-centric performance.

Some of her writing can be found on Artsy, Pollinate, New York Review of Architecture, and Columbia’s Journal of Art Criticism. Excerpts from her MA thesis can be found here.

Brooke Viegut is a director, choreographer, researcher, and writer working across theater, events, and experiences, as well as an entertainment researcher based in New York, NY. Brooke’s creative work infuses deeper storytelling into experiences, depicting traditional tales in non-traditional ways in the theater and elevating audience experiences everywhere from meeting rooms to merry-go-rounds. Her current research, Anonymous Intimacy, explores the impact of compassionate design on audience experience in various forms of live entertainment.

As a speaker, they have engaged audiences at Webster University, School of Visual Arts, and as part of Remixing the Classics, an international conference on contemporary adaptations of classical texts. Her multidisciplinary approach to experience design has led to collaborating with Emursive/The McKittrick Hotel, Alvanon, RWS Entertainment Group, Virgin Voyages, National Audubon Society, Historic Hudson Valley, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and NYCxDesign among others.

Brooke earned their B.A. in Directing from The Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University, and a MA in Design Research, Writing, and Criticism from the School of Visual Arts. In a past life she was a musician, athlete, and avid dancer. Brooke now spends their rare spare time as a helicopter dog parent, novice painter, and committed doughnut connoisseur.  More at www.brookeviegut.com.