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BIOGRAPHY
Art was born in Boston of a family that was equal parts Nantucket whaling magnates turned brahmin
philanthropists on his fathers side, and bohemian economists on his mother’s. Raised in Maine, he studied
Russian Intellectual History at Harvard, graduated cum laude in History, and wrote his thesis on Soviet dissident
thought. Art lived in Juneau, Alaska for fourteen years, where he began his relationship with Juneau’s
Perseverance Theatre. At Perseverance, he designed dozens of productions beginning with the world premiere
of Democracy by John Murrell (1991) and most recently Black Comedy by Peter Shaffer (2007). He worked with
directors Molly Smith, Peter DuBois, and others and designed world premieres by Darrah Cloud, Paula Vogel,
and Deborah Brevoort. While living in Juneau, Art also designed for Opera To Go, Theatre in the Rough,
ACTFEST, The Juneau Lyric Opera, the JDHS Drama Department and developed a twelve year long association
with Juneau Jazz and Classics. Other regional theater credits: Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble, Lake Tahoe
Shakespeare Festival, Epiphany Theatre Company, Foothill Theatre Company, Sacramento Theater Company,
The People’s Light and Theatre Company, M Gorky Drama Theatre of Vladivostok, Russia, ActorsExpress, Opera
House Arts and Trinity Repertory Company. Opera credits: Riders to the Sea/A Dinner Engagement (Manhattan
School of Music), The Mother of Us All, La Doriclea (Juilliard), HMS Pinafore, Romeo et Juliette (Anchorage
Opera), Eliogabolo, (Aspen). Upcoming Projects: Cyrano de Bergerac (Sacramento Theater Company), I Have
Before me a Remarkable Document Given to me by a Young Lady from Rwanda (The People’s Light and Theater
Company), Marko the Prince (Immigrants Theater Project) and Aspen. Art holds an MFA in Design from New
York University’s Tisch School, where he studied set and lighting design for the stage, and was awarded the
Seidman Prize for excellence in scenic design. Art is a member of the New York region of United Scenic Artists
Local 829 of the IATSE, the union of professional designers for theatre, film, television, opera and industrials.
After finishing his NYU degree in 2005, Art and Narelle Sissons established Designers Squared, a studio in New
York City at West 30th Street and 6th Avenue, where he has been based until this coming summer, when he and
his wife, set designer/painter and fellow NYU graduate Akiko Nishijima, will relocate to Juneau in order for Art to
work as the Artistic Director at Perseverance Theatre.
philanthropists on his fathers side, and bohemian economists on his mother’s. Raised in Maine, he studied
Russian Intellectual History at Harvard, graduated cum laude in History, and wrote his thesis on Soviet dissident
thought. Art lived in Juneau, Alaska for fourteen years, where he began his relationship with Juneau’s
Perseverance Theatre. At Perseverance, he designed dozens of productions beginning with the world premiere
of Democracy by John Murrell (1991) and most recently Black Comedy by Peter Shaffer (2007). He worked with
directors Molly Smith, Peter DuBois, and others and designed world premieres by Darrah Cloud, Paula Vogel,
and Deborah Brevoort. While living in Juneau, Art also designed for Opera To Go, Theatre in the Rough,
ACTFEST, The Juneau Lyric Opera, the JDHS Drama Department and developed a twelve year long association
with Juneau Jazz and Classics. Other regional theater credits: Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble, Lake Tahoe
Shakespeare Festival, Epiphany Theatre Company, Foothill Theatre Company, Sacramento Theater Company,
The People’s Light and Theatre Company, M Gorky Drama Theatre of Vladivostok, Russia, ActorsExpress, Opera
House Arts and Trinity Repertory Company. Opera credits: Riders to the Sea/A Dinner Engagement (Manhattan
School of Music), The Mother of Us All, La Doriclea (Juilliard), HMS Pinafore, Romeo et Juliette (Anchorage
Opera), Eliogabolo, (Aspen). Upcoming Projects: Cyrano de Bergerac (Sacramento Theater Company), I Have
Before me a Remarkable Document Given to me by a Young Lady from Rwanda (The People’s Light and Theater
Company), Marko the Prince (Immigrants Theater Project) and Aspen. Art holds an MFA in Design from New
York University’s Tisch School, where he studied set and lighting design for the stage, and was awarded the
Seidman Prize for excellence in scenic design. Art is a member of the New York region of United Scenic Artists
Local 829 of the IATSE, the union of professional designers for theatre, film, television, opera and industrials.
After finishing his NYU degree in 2005, Art and Narelle Sissons established Designers Squared, a studio in New
York City at West 30th Street and 6th Avenue, where he has been based until this coming summer, when he and
his wife, set designer/painter and fellow NYU graduate Akiko Nishijima, will relocate to Juneau in order for Art to
work as the Artistic Director at Perseverance Theatre.