Jim Clayburgh (born 23 May 1949) is a

scenic designer Scenic may refer to: * Scenic design * Scenic painting * Scenic overlook * Scenic railroad (disambiguation) * Scenic route * Scenic, South Dakota, United States * Scenic (horse), a Thoroughbred racehorse Aviation *Airwave Scenic, an Austrian pa ...

. He was a founding member of

The Wooster Group The Wooster Group is a New York City-based experimental theater company known for creating numerous original dramatic works. It gradually emerged from Richard Schechner's The Performance Group (1967–1980) during the period from 1975 to 1980, an ...

and served as the group's resident designer from 1975 to 1994. He currently lives in Brussels, Belgium, where he founded the company JOJI INC with choreographer and dancer , and continues to design for theatre, film, dance and opera both in the USA and in Europe.

Life and career

Jim Clayburgh is the brother of actress

Jill Clayburgh Jill Clayburgh (April 30, 1944 – November 5, 2010) was an American actress known for her work in theater, television, and cinema. She received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Act ...

(1944–2010). With partner Johanne Saunier, he has two sons. Clayburgh holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Claremont McKenna College Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It has a curricular emphasis on government, economics, public affairs, finance, and internat ...

, majoring in design at

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became ...

, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Design from

New York University School Of The Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...

. In the USA he has taught masterclasses at MIT, New York Tisch School of the Arts, University of California Santa Cruz, University of Michigan, Hollins University, Simons Rock College of Art. In Europe, he has taught a
St Luc's Ecole Supérieur des Arts
and the

International School of Brussels The International School of Brussels (ISB) is an English-language international school with grades spanning from pre-school to high school. Its campus lies in the Brussels commune of Watermael-Boitsfort. History The International School of Brus ...

. He was part of the design team for the interior renovations of two major concert halls in Brussels:

La Maison de la Radio LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

at Flagey, Ixelles, an
Le Palais des Beaux Arts
In 2011 he gave a keynote address at the 41st International Theatre Festival at the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

. In 2013-14 he was a Visiting Artist at th
American Academy of Rome
Clayburgh was a member of the jury and gave a design workshop at Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space in 2019, and he was a key speaker at the 2015 edition. In 2020, he collaborated with German sopran
Sarah Maria Sun
on texts for concerts and lyrics for songs.

Approaches to scenic design

''In conversation with Matthew Maguire:'' "It interests me as a designer: looking for subconscious memories of space." "The distraction of a twenty-minute light change in a concert setting seems to block the ability to listen for some. I find it a form of relaxation, a second track of active involved meditation. I'm surprised how few people shut their eyes when listening."

Awards and articles

Awards

OBIE award for Sustained Achievement (The Wooster Group) (1991). OBIE award for Sustained Achievement In Design (1982).

Articles

"A Space For Oedipus" – profile in Theatre Design & Technology, by Arnold Aronson (1978). "Plywood and electronics" – profile in Theatre Crafts, by Tish Dace (1984).

Design work

The Performance Group (1973–1978)

The Wooster Group The Wooster Group is a New York City-based experimental theater company known for creating numerous original dramatic works. It gradually emerged from Richard Schechner's The Performance Group (1967–1980) during the period from 1975 to 1980, an ...
(1975–1994)

Scenic design (other)

Lighting design (dance)

Scenic and lighting design (1989–present)

References

External links

Joji inc. website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clayburgh, Jim American scenic designers Living people 1949 births Claremont McKenna College alumni New York University alumni Artists from New York City