Eric Lewis, president of Arts in the Margins, is a Professor of Philosophy at McGill University, where he directs the Laboratory of Urban Culture. His academic interests center upon Black aesthetics, critical race theory, the philosophy of improvisation, and the politics and ethics of new media art. He brings to AIM decades of experience in running community-facing art-centered projects, and a strong commitment to social justice and equity. He is also an active improvisor on brass and reeds, in numerous ensembles.
Kaie Kellough, co-vice president of Arts in the Margins, is an award-winning poet, fiction writer, and sound performer. His work emerges at a crossroads of social engagement and formal experiment. His long poem Magnetic Equator (McClelland and Stewart, 2019), won the 2020 Griffin Poetry Prize. His collection of short stories, Dominoes at the Crossroads (Véhicule Press, 2020) was recognized nationally. Kaie has written plays for television and librettos for large musical ensembles. His solo and group sound performances have toured internationally.
Nadah El Shazly, co-vice president of Arts in the Margins, is a producer, vocalist and sound artist from Cairo, Egypt, and is currently based in Montreal. Her debut album,“Ahwar,” radically reinvents popular Egyptian music from the early 19th century and explores new sonic and harmonic frontiers, landing her on the cover of The Wire magazine. Using her voice, field recordings and instruments, she creates haunting sound pieces that hijack the perception of time with their complex layers and dynamic structure. Following her release with extensive worldwide touring, both solo and with a four-piece band, El Shazly has been featured in local and international festivals including Irtijal, Le Guess Who?, REWIRE and Best Kept Secret. She composed her first original soundtrack, for the feature film The Damned Don’t Cry (2022) which premiered at Giornate Degli Autori at the Venice Film Festival, and received best original music score at Bordeaux’s International Independent Film Festival (FIFIB). Nadah is currently working on her second music album which will be released this year (2023).
Peter Burton, treasurer of Arts in the Margins, is a music curator, artist manager, and arts administrator who focuses on Free Jazz, New Music, Sound Art and Folk/Popular Music from around the world. In 2020, he co-founded Arts in the Margins with Eric Lewis. Burton uses his organizational, creative, and curatorial skills to support musicians that challenge conventional thinking and to create spaces for musicians and listeners to share inspired musical experiences. Between 2006 and 2021, he was the executive director of Montreal’s Suoni Per Il Popolo, a groundbreaking music festival that mixed music genres, developed diverse audiences, and gained widespread recognition inside and outside of Canada.
Jessica Condemi, secretary of Arts in the Margins, is a lawyer, avid reader, and an artist at heart. Currently practicing in civil and commercial litigation in a boutique law firm in Montreal, she uses her knowledge of the law and her analytical mind to advise AIM on current and upcoming projects. During her studies, she took part in many piano and singing recitals and was a member of the Conseil jeunesse of Montreal for five years prior to joining AIM, a municipal body advising the executive council on youth centered issues and perspectives. Her aim is simple: help the Montreal community as best she can, be it in the court room or through a grass-roots organization.
Anjali Mishra is an urban planner and an engineer. A great fan of music and culture, Anjali started volunteering for cultural festivals and charities as a teenager. Her fascination with creativity, public participation and innovation in relationship with the urban environment carries over to her professional life. Anjali has worked for over 20 years as a manager and director for major public infrastructure, transportation and urban design projects in Montreal. Her accomplishments include planning for the Quartier des spectacles, the creation of a new shared street for Habitations Saint-Michel Nord, and the transformation of Peel Street to highlight the historic presence of First Nations communities.