Marsian De Lellis is an Artist and Development Specialist at Los Angeles Performance Practice, where they secure critical resources for artists in L.A.—a city that ranks first in creatives but 466th in state funding. Their activist approach to development is rooted in rallies they organized, which led to the nation’s earliest LGBTQ+ student anti-discrimination law. They have provided curatorial oversight to selection committees for L.A. County Department of Arts and Culture, WeHo Arts, California Arts Council, REDCAT, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, and the Puppet Slam Network (which they co-founded). Their advocacy has been instrumental in leveraging funds for LAPP’s fellowship initiative, securing Mellon Foundation’s backing to reimagine LAPP’s co-leadership model, and directing resources to BRIDGE THE GAPS: Wildfire Relief for L.A. Artists. Their strategic advancement approach is informed by their artistic practice, self-producing installations and performances with puppets, dolls, and performing objects that memorialize obsessional lives.

Photo courtesy of Owen Scarlett and The Center for Provocative Thought