 Consolidated Works announced on September 6, 2005 that it has hired Corey Pearlstein as its new artistic director. Pearlstein takes command of the organization on September 26. He was previously the producing artistic director of The Theatre Outlet, a multi-arts venue in Allentown, Pa. He also has served as the artistic director of the Lord Leebrick Theatre Company in Eugene, Oregon. Pearlstein was chosen to take the artistic lead at Consolidated Works after a national search that produced over 50 applicants. A search committee "reviewed" resumes and conducted interviews over the course of two months before recommending Pearlstein to the full Consolidated Works board, who unanimously approved his appointment. After a several-month hiatus, ConWorks will reopen to the public Sept. 30 with an exhibit of a new installation, "Sheng High," by internationally known Seattle sculptor and composer Trimpin.
 "Consolidated Works is neither a theater with art in the lobby nor a gallery with a stage in back; it is neither a cinema that plays music nor a music hall that shows films. It is a fully integrated multi-disciplinary center for the arts, a one-stop-shopping venue for artistic exploration embracing all disciplines". From the Con Works Mission Statement
Now that Conworks has hired an Artistic Director, it will be interesting to see how Corey Pearlstein repurposes the functioning of the arts center. It needs begin with the board. As a relative newcomer, in 2004, to the Lehigh Valley, Pearlstein was aided by an overhauled board loaded with community leaders. The recruiting was led by Marilyn Roberts, director of development and marketing for Muhlenberg College's department of theater and dance. It would seem that Pearlstein will need to repair the damage done by the ConWorks board by their arrogant refusal to communicate with the Seattle community.
Pearlstein tried expanding the Outlet as a cultural center. The company hosted independent films and poetry readings, an African-American troupe and Latino solo performance artists. The Outlet has plans to offer an interracial, interdisciplinary show (''And My Name Ain't Peaches''), post-play concerts and poetry slam contests. Films are projected indoors in a lounge and outdoors on a screen recycled from the defunct Eric Theater in Allentown.
On paper his qualifications are above par with a significant weakness in experience with the Visual Arts. For ConWorks this attribute is nothing new. Some of the problems in the administration of the Center have rested in a raw, immature, almost naive lack of understanding of the Contemporary Visual Arts. Fortunately for Pearlstein, the Trimpin exhibition is completely self-contained with Curator Beth Sellars doing all the heavy lifting both intellectually and physically.
“I see Consolidated Works as a company on the cutting edge of arts and culture. Its multidisciplinary platform embraces a new model for the American arts center that encourages artistic risk and exploration. ConWorks provides a creative home for both established and emerging artists in Seattle and the region. For the public, it is a place to access and experience the unfiltered spectrum of this expression. It is places like ConWorks that define the cultural life and inimitable character of a city. I am honored to lead the company in the advancement of its exceptional mission and see tremendous opportunity for its artistic and institutional growth.” Corey Pearlstein
ConWorks is located in a gallery and theater facility on Boren Avenue North, in a building owned by City Investors, a division of Paul Allen's company . The current ConWorks lease runs only until 2006.
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