The Art Directors Guild has elected a new slate of executive board officers, and for the first time in the union’s history, the top-ranking four are all women.
In a vote that took place over mail in March and April, the members of the IATSE-affiliated union chose Not Dead Yet and Corporate production designer Dina Lipton to be their president, with current president Nelson Coates vacating the role after eight and a half years. Senior set designer Kristen Davis (A Friend of the Family, Monster) was appointed vice president and supervising art director Helen Harwell (Monster, Fargo) was elected as treasurer. Art director and senior set designer Judy Cosgrove (Loot, The Offer) was re-elected as secretary. These executive officers’ terms, which will last three years, begin on June 1.
In a statement, Lipton thanked the union’s members for electing her and said she looked forward to “working hard on behalf of the membership during my term.”
ADG national executive director Chuck Parker added that new all-female team of top executive board officers on the board represented a “milestone” for the union, which was created in 1937. “I look forward to the leadership they will provide over the next three years,” he added.
ADG members also elected leaders to head up the union’s four crafts this cycle. Miranda Cristofani was re-elected as AD Craft Board trustee by the Art Directors Council, while Rachel Robb was also re-elected to the board. On the AD Council, Alex Gaines and Tracy Dishman were re-appointed to their posts while Emma Koh and Marcia Hinds were elected as new members.
The Illustrators, Storyboard Artists and Matte Artists Council, meanwhile, voted in Matthew Cunningham as IMA Craft Board trustee and Fae Corrigan as a board member. Phil Saunders, Stephen Platt, Zachary Berger and Rick Buoen were ushered in as IMA Council members. The Set Designers and Model Makers Council elected Thomas Taylor as Craft Board trustee and Shelley Wallace as a board member, while Chad Frey, Anne Porter, Daniela Medeiros and Taura Rivera are set to serve as SDMM Council members.
The Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists Council again chose Dionisio Tafoya as board trustee and appointed Caitlin Miller as a board member. Cristina Colissimo and Eric Rosenberg were re-elected to the STG Council, while Sara Escamilla has been appointed as a new member. Sarah Gonzalez is moving from the STG Craft Board to the STG Council as its fourth member.