J.J. El-Far (she/her) is a non-profit arts leader, creative producer, and cultural consultant based in Philadelphia and New York. Her work brings diverse people together for artistic events that transform spaces and communities. She specializes in creative entrepreneurship at the intersection of arts, activism, and social justice. She serves as the Director of Development Operations for The Philadelphia School and founded and leads a professional networking organization for arts and culture workers called Rising Wing. She is a board member of the Parent Artist Advocacy League and Kaimera Productions.

 

J.J. is passionate about supporting artists and helping them realize their visions with skillful application of a diverse set of skills and experience in arts administration, fundraising, budget management, production, and touring, in both US and international contexts. Her work brings diverse people together for artistic events that transform spaces and communities. She specializes in creative entrepreneurship at the intersection of arts, activism, and social justice.

 

J.J. moved to Philadelphia in 2019, after spending the previous 11 years in New York. Recent arts leadership roles include Managing Director of Philadelphia Contemporary, Director of Development and Communication for the Pig Iron Theatre Company, and Executive Producer for RADIOKISMET podcast network. Before that, she was Managing Producer of ArKtype, a theatrical management and booking agency for experimental and interdisciplinary performance, and prior to that was a Program Manager at the Sundance Institute Theater Program, Interim General Manager of Musical Theatre Factory, and General Manager of Theater Mitu. Before that she served as an Officer of the Arts Program for the British Council, producing cultural exchange programs with British artists in the US from 2012-2017.

 

She co-founded the multi-disciplinary Harlem Arts Festival, which she led as Creative Director from 2010-2015 and later chaired the Board of Directors from 2015-17. J.J. was Assistant Producer of the 2015 Two Degrees Festival of art and climate action at Artsadmin in London. In 2009, J.J. co-founded and served as Executive Director of Hybrid Theatre Works, an international theater collective, which created over 60 site specific original works. As a consultant and freelance producer, she has worked with Octopus Theatricals, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, The Play Company, TedX Harlem, the American embassy in Cairo and Spotify.

 

She is one of Theatre Communications Group’s Young Leaders of Color, and is a member of Women of Color in the Arts and a core member of Theatre Without Borders. J.J. holds an MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy from Goldsmiths, University of London and received a BA in Theater Arts and in International Global Studies from Brandeis University.